What are the Chances
by Sultry Sweet
Summary: Sara promised a friend she would attend her wedding...in Vermont! Sara hadn't been too happy with Catherine as of late, but a familiar reason in a soon to be familiar setting will force them to better behave...for the most part. CHAPTER 10 NOW UP!
1. Catherine Too

**_I know I was supposed to get my other two stories taken care of as far as updates go, but I wanted you to have something for a few days until I can put more energy into them. I'm currently working on Wonder Years and hope to have it up at least by Wednesday. If you're looking for my excuse this time, it would be my research paper. Blame my English teacher. :( hahaha. Anyway, let me know what you think. :D_**

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Sara was looking over photos from her latest case on the assembly table in the layout room. She needed to talk to Grissom, but in order to get what she wanted she had to wrap the case she stared down at that moment. She had a commitment to keep.

Her friend from college sent her an e-mail about how she moved to Vermont and net the sweetest man on the planet. After several paragraphs of catch up information, Sara read the crucial part of the message: _I want you to be my maid of honor because the sweetest man on the planet proposed to me! _That was when the e-mail became interesting in contrast to the funny details mentioned before.

She had to book a flight that was supposed to take her across the country in the direction of Maine. She didn't mind the change in scenery or the weather difference, but she did mind that she had to sit through hours of boring airline shows, crossword puzzles, Word Jumbles, Solitaire, and or anything else she thought to bring as entertainment.

The in-flight movie was usually a snooze fest so she had to get her hands on a portable device that would allow her to watch her own collection. Normally, she read books, but the side of her that her colleagues only seemed to see when she accidentally hummed during a case was the side of Sara that had shelves of movies tucked away in her closet. No one ever looked in her closet.

She marked a few things on each picture to indicate her though process and studied them to make sense of the pattern that appeared after twenty minutes of boring holes into the evidence.

She spent hours slaving over the pictures before she received a text from Hodges that told her the results were ready.

"Trace came back to a sticky substance," he said when she walked through the door.

"And?"

"It's honey. Hey, where did you find it?"

"All over."

"Well, either she got down and dirty with someone and got crazy with the honey or it has something to do with where she was murdered."

"I could've told you that…and…" she turned to leave, but before she did she turned back around to finished her sentence face-to-face. "It was the first one."

"Really," Hodges asked with boyish hope. He looked up from the computer to see why Sara wasn't answering him only to fid she had already vanished.

Grissom wasn't in his office when Sara walked by, which caused her to sigh. She took out her cell phone, searched through her contacts and hit "send". After a few rings, he answered.

"Grissom."

"It's Sara. I, uh, wanted to know when you'd be back in the lab."

"I can't…talk…now, Sara… Bad connection," he, along with static, made its way through the phone. "I'll…back…fifteen…minutes."

Wind whipped past the speaker and soon after, the line disconnected. Sara groaned. She needed to talk to him sooner rather than later.

"Greg, have you seen Catherine," Sara asked the spiky haired blonde in his old lab: DNA.

"Um, yeah. I think she was taking off when Grissom left for his scene. I guess she caught him last minute in her rush because Grissom followed her out after a minute or so of paperwork or something."

Sara furrowed her brows for a few seconds before she remembered why she asked about Catherine.

"Thanks."

She quickly retreated to the locker room and slammed her palm against one of the metal doors.

"That bitch thinks she can up and leave during our case? She hasn't been able to help me for the past shift and now I hear that she took off! She had no right to leave me with this damn case when I have a wedding to get to this weekend."

Fortunately for Sara, no one was around to hear her talk to herself. She was beyond pissed, she was furious. Catherine got her blood pumping with unfathomable anger that could drive her to slaughter a country, a small country, but a country nonetheless.

She waited fifteen minutes in the locker room and crammed an almond Hershey's bar into her mouth to calm herself down. She was licking her fingers when Grissom bustled past on his way to his office. She sprung from the wooden bench with bulging eyes and sprinted after him with the chocolate bar slowing her down a bit.

"Grissom," she called out with one hand in the air as she released her other hand's thumb from between her teeth. "I need to talk to you."

Grissom sighed. He didn't want to have to deal with yet another problem.

She caught up to him as he turned his office key in the lock. He allowed her to enter first even though in his possession was a book, two manila folders, a pen, and a messenger bag draped over his right shoulder. She wanted to sit down, but she didn't want the conversation to take long so she remained standing until further notice.

"I need you to give me the weekend off," she plowed into the request before he could set down all his things and take a seat.

"Oh…kay," he formed into a question. He needed time to think, time to breathe. "You know I can't do that, right?"

"What? Why the hell not?" She was surprised to say the least at his response.

"Sara, we're short handed enough as it is. Two CSI's, the best I might add, can't be wandering around for four days.

"Two? It's only me…and you know it has to be a really good reason for me to take time off."

"Yes, two and yes, I'm sure it's a good reason. If you had gotten to me sooner, I might have been able to do something."

"What do you mean 'sooner'? You were busy. It's not like I was going to disturb you in the middle of shift while you were out doing some kind of important business half of this lab doesn't even understand. Give me a little credit?"

"No, that's not what I meant." He lowered his hands, palms down in a "relax" gesture. "Before I left…Catherine came to talk to me and asked for the weekend. I can't very well have my best out of the lab, can I?

With Nick at a conference as part of furthering education and Greg can't work solo…there's no way you and Catherine can both be out. I didn't even want to let Catherine have the time, but you know how stubborn she can be. I agreed to get her out of my hair."

Sara eyes slimmed into slits with anger while she folded her arms and grinded her teeth. The strawberry blonde had done it again and for the second time within a single shift.

It was official: Catherine was going for a new record.

"If I let you have the same time off as her, no one will be working your case. I thought she told you?"

"She didn't," Sara said through gritted teeth. "She doesn't tell me anything! It's part of a game she likes to play with me. Maybe you've heard of it. It's called 'Screw Sara Over'."

Grissom grimaced. "She assured me she had already told you before I signed the final paperwork."

"Yeah, well, like I said…she didn't! What are you going to do, ground her?"

He sighed. "I just don't think I can let you go."

"Come on, Grissom," she pleaded, still full of furry. "Maybe…someone else could take over. Look, I had every intention of wrapping the case before I left, but I'm running out of time. I have to go out of state."

Grissom knitted his brows. "To do what?"

"Does it matter?" She yelled again. He obviously wasn't getting the picture.

Another sigh and he removed his reading glasses from the bridge of his nose. He looked over his long time friend and pursed his lips.

While Grissom played pros and cons, Sara was desperate to think of ways to sway his vote in her favor.

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**_I know it's short, but this time I have a plan and yet...I planned it a little too specifically. Don't worry though, the other chapters will be longer. ;) Give me a review and this weekend I will push to get AT LEAST the second chapter out. _**

**_Thanks for reading. :)_**


	2. Feeling the Chill

**_I know I said_ Wonder Years_ would be updated by tonight, but I focused more on this story. Sorry if that upsets you. :( Anyway, it's a little longer than the last one and I've had to do some adding of events to this story so I've got more to deal with and quite a few planned out chapters from before._ **

**_At least, though, you have this update to keep you company until the next! ;) Enjoy._**

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"I just can't let you do this, Sara…I'm sorry. I truly wish there was something I could do."

Sara frowned. His words upset her and because of that, she wasn't about to back down.

"I'll give you anything you want," she argued. "Come on, what'll it take for you to let me off the hook here?"

He leaned back in his chair and bit the arm of his glasses. "If word gets out I let you bribe me…it'll make me look bad."

"Oh, grow a pair. You already look bad and you know it. Besides, it'll be our little secret. Name your price."

"Get a few pictures from whatever it's your doing," he caved.

Sara smiled and walked behind his desk. She bent down and gave him a hug. Suddenly, as she attempted to stand up, she slipped and fell into his lap. He had his arms around her waist to keep her from falling flat onto the floor and stared blankly into her big, brown eyes.

Sara gulped and shook the worry out of her head. She decided a peck on the cheek would do, but Grissom had no idea what she was doing. He looked at the path Sara was about to take, which caused him to turn his head, and instead of a simple kiss on the cheek their lips locked.

After thirteen long seconds, they separated and touched their fingertips to their swollen lips. Grissom cleared his throat when he remembered the door remained open. Nobody seemed to care about his office at that particular moment though.

Sara cleared her own throat and pushed off his shoulders to stand. "I should…be on my way. Um, Warrick might be able to take my case. If you can't pawn it off on him…I guess you'll have to take it. Sorry."

She rushed out of the office with her fingers hovering in front of he lips. She was confused to say the least and now she was terrified she might have ruined her future with that little accident.

It was no matter though, because she needed to pack and book her flight. She looked up all the necessary information and knew there would be one flying out at eight a.m.

--

The airport filled at the gates as the early morning sun shined its death rays on all non-morning people. Sara squinted her eyes against the piercing light and hauled her suitcase over to a seat at her assigned gate.

Within a matter of minutes, as she barely made it in time to catch her flight, boarding began. She mentally sighed with every step she inched to take. She especially knew how departure took what seemed like an eternity and the fact that she would be thousands of feet in the air for just as long a time with everything to do, but no heart to sit still.

When she took her seat there was already a baby whining and two people discussing whose ass really belonged in seat 23B.

Though Sara wasn't claustrophobic, she had a heavy feeling by the time she reached her final destination she would have a requited love for the fear.

She drifted off three quarters of the way through the flight to the beat of her music blasting out the rest of the place on her iPod. And she would have stayed that way if the guy next to her wasn't slumped over her on her shoulder with drool pooling on her clothes from his mouth.

Sara startled herself awake with the stranger's presence and shoved him in the opposite direction. The woman in the opposite direction was pushed by Sara's act of zero tolerance and shoved Drool Man back at Sara. Soon it escalated to game of "No Take Backs" with both participants ignoring the other one's dislike toward possession of the slumbering fool.

"Keep him on your side, lady," the older woman, who looked no day over fifty-three, demanded through gritted teeth.

"The hell I will," Sara mimicked the older woman.

"Damn it!"

"You can…have him," Sara exclaimed as she gave one final, harsh push at the woman.

The man awoke with a loud snort and reflexively punched both women in the face. The older woman took most of the guy's left fist while got off easy. She only sustained a slap at the same time the other woman suffered a bloody nose.

"Look what you did now," the older woman yelled at Sara with a pointed finger. She then mumbled something that sounded to Sara a lot like "bitch", but she couldn't be one hundred percent sure.

_Ah, yes, I feel right at home. It's like a never left, right Catherine, _Sara thought by addressing the other woman as her harsh coworker.

The clock read 10:52 p.m. when the plane touched down in Burlington, Vermont. Sara needed a rental car to take her south into Killington and that would take at least another hour. The first thing Sara did when both her feet were firmly planted on the ground was to grab a bite to eat at one of the fast food places in the airport. She went to one of the little snack bars and bought some kind of vegetarian sandwich, basically a salad without meat stuffed between two sub buns, and a lemon Gatorade.

She opted to get to her desired destination in the morning after she spent a night in the closets hotel. The flight, for the eleven hours and thirty-seven minutes it was, had worn her out. She attempted to get comfortable under the dirty sheets of her hotel room's bed. The single thought that ran through her mind at that particular moment was who slept in the exact bed the night before, what activities, if any, occurred in the half-ass washed linen, and why the government wouldn't give hotel's enough money to afford new sheets for every bed every time someone checked out. To Sara, it was the only sanitary decision.

"_Why do you always have to be like this around me," Sara shouted at Catherine with tears in her heart. She hated to fight and she hated the disrespect from her superior. _

"_What do you mean," Catherine scowled as she protested against the harsh accusation from her colleague._

"_I can't believe you have the nerve to ask me that! Everyone else gets the soft side of you while all you do is bitch about my emotional ties to certain cases. I'm not the only one with that fault, Catherine, and you of all people know that!"_

"_I don't have to deal with this," Catherine huffed off in the opposite direction._

_If I could just get my hands on you, I thought with malice as things grew dark within my mind. A new night strolled in and I prepared to rip Catherine to shreads._

_----_

_I rang the doorbell to Catherine's house and clenched and unclenched my fists several times. It took her a minute to come to the door with her heavy lids and bewildered expression. She wore light pink pajamas shorts with a matching light pink shirt promoting the fight against breast cancer. I almost rethought my violent plan. _

"_Can I help you," she asked in a snippy tone._

_It was two in the morning so I understood so I understood the hostility, but something inside me snapped. I charged at her, as I planned, and pounded her into the wall, my right hand tightly coiled around her neck. She began gasping and I grinned. Her feet dangled a few inches off the ground at the point where her toes hardly touched the hardwood. _

_Both her hands weakly pried away at my threatening hand as her face contorted into an awkward mask. She looked helpless and apologetic, not herself. _

"_P-p-please…stop," she begged to the best of her abilities, her voice as light as air. _

_My grin stretched and I swear my face split. I had reached the point of no return: I was my abusive father. _

_----_

Sara sprang straight into a sitting position in bed, gasping for new life in a cold sweat. Nightmares were the epitome of her existence since the first day her father ever laid a hand on her.

Damn this filthy hotel bed, she thought with an inward groan. She tossed and turned with no hope to a solid slumber the rest of the night.

For breakfast, Sara bundled up in her favorite sweater and covered her jeans with sweat pants. She was nowhere near ready to fully experience east coast weather. She grabbed one apple and one lemon pastry, part of the hotel's continental breakfast, and head south for the wedding.

Sara hardly stopped for a bathroom or food break with the exception of the one time during her drive when she almost fell asleep at the wheel. She She wanted to get to her friend's house quickly, seeing as how she hated travel, but she needed more time. All her energy went toward her cases back at the lab so as she did anything else, she forced herself to ease off the gas and hit the brakes.

She found a rest stop twenty minutes from the town and inhaled her first breath of icy air in a long while. If her past addiction to cigarettes hadn't given her bronchitis once or twice, the snowfall would by the end of her visit.

"You're not from here, are you," a friendly, elderly man asked with a smile. His hair was pearl white and his face was coated with wrinkles as his age determiner.

"How'd you guess," Sara flashed a polite smile.

"Not many people around here wear all those clothes. I remember back when my daughter came to visit from Arizona. Boy, she sure had a heck of a time adjusting," he lightly chuckle.

Sara smiled and nodded. "I'm starting to get that I'll freeze my butt off before I can get used to this cold."

Again, he laughed. "Well…maybe you're a tough one and you won't feel a thing."

"Maybe, but I'd have to be lucky for that."

"No, I see it in you. You've got fire. I'm sure you'll do fine," he smiled wide enough to flaunt his dentures and touch both his ears with the corners of his mouth.

Sara mimicked his action only with the slightly different out come of her gap teeth. "I didn't want to stay too, so I'm going to head back out now." Though she hated to think about it, the man reminded her of Grissom, which brought her to their last shared moment. It was far from something she wanted to remember.

"Fine by me. You take care now," he held his and smiled as he stood and headed away from the picnic table Sara seated herself at when she first got to the area.

She glanced over the thin layer of snow coating the top of the trees and dying out grass as she got into her rental. The place was peaceful and she was happy to be out of the consuming desert heat. She punched the radio dial on the car and slipped in one of her mixed CD's. The first song to play filled the Nissan Maxima that Sara automatically recognized was sung by Dave Matthew's band. Oddly and unfortunately enough, it brought her mind to Catherine yet, she still sang along as she continued to her weekend getaway.

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**_Your turn. Let me know what you think with an awesome review I keep telling you I would love!! :)_**

**_Thanks for reading as usual. ;) _**


	3. Hello Killington

**_For those of you who are waiting for updates toward _Wonder Years _and _Welcome to Vegas _I want you to know that I'm working with other things for the moment, but I do expect to get back to them at least by the end of this month. Sorry if that upsets you, but I DO plan to continue them. :) _**

**_And for those of you who are questioning what this has to do with Catherine, wait until next chapter. She's coming up. :)_**

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"Sara," Cameron excitedly yelled when her eyes fell on her longtime friend. She rushed into a hug and squeezed the life out of the brunette. When they let go of each other, Cameron's eyes grew wide. "Holy crap…I'm getting _married_!"

Sara laughed as she took a step inside, her dirty blonde friend having moved aside as they functioned like a well-oiled machine even with all the years apart. "Wow, Cam Cam, you're just figuring that out? And yet you still wonder why we all called you Jeopardy."

"Don't tell me it's because of that damn waiting song they run when people are trying to think of the answer."

"Finally you get it. And it only took…" Sara briefly trailed off as she looked down at her watch-free wrist, "twenty-one years."

"Shut up," Cameron playfully slapped Sara's arm and laughed.

"Nice place," Sara complimented once her small laughter subsided. "Thanks. Jason and I bought it after college. I can't believe I'll forever be stuck with my college sweetheart."

Sara chuckled and shook her head. "It's a god thing you love him then. Where is he anyway?"

"Oh, he went to hang out with his groomsmen and then they're going to met his best man."

"Why are they meeting the best man?"

"Flew in from out of town. Anyway, I wanted Jason out of the way so we could catch up."

Cameron closed the front door and the two made their way to the kitchen.

"I like the weather," Sara commented seriously.

"Is that because it's so cold all you can focus on is how to protect yourself from hypothermia," Cameron asked with a bubbly expression. She turned to Sara, e unguarded side of Sara, and laughed. "You always hated to think about reality. I remember you were such the creator. You thought up ways to get your mind out of the present. You would always try to get me to go to strange place with you… I loved every minute of it too."

Sara laughed. "Just like I always said you would."

"So…" Cameron slowly started to change the subject. "How's Vegas?"

"Humid," Sara considerately nodded as she planned her answer carefully.

Cameron yet again laughed. "And Grissom?"

Sara cringed. The images of falling into his lap and the accidental kiss tore her to shreads. She was confused to say the least and nauseous about it to say the most. "There was a thing…before I got here.

"What kind of thing," Cameron's tone became serious as she took a seat at the kitchen table, signaling Sara to join her.

Sara eased herself into a white seat circling the table and took a deep breath before further explanation. "We kissed."

"Oh, my God," Cameron white-knuckled the table with wide eyes as she slightly cut off her best friend.

"But it was on accident and it was only a little peck," Sara quickly defended.

"Still! How was it? How did it make you feel? God, you were crushing over him big time after you saw him lecture, I swear." Cameron couldn't help but laugh hysterically.

"It's not funny…it didn't feel right," Sara began to worry.

Cameron gasped and caught herself from laughing her way off the chair she sat in. "Are you joking?"

"o, I'm not. It felt like…passion was the one thing it lacked. And yet…I'm exhilarated by everything my coworker does when it pisses me off."

"Wow, really?"

"No, I'm just telling you all this because I feel like screwing with you considering I haven't seen you in over two decades!" Sarcasm thickly covered Sara's words as she started to get frustrated. She took a calming breath. "I wish it wasn't the truth, but I can't escape her. She's like the last piece of a puzzle that doesn't fit and yet, I keep searching for her place."

"Damn, that was…deep."

"Oh, shut up," Sara emitted a light laugh.

"What? It is!"

"Yeah, okay, whatever. Let's skip this-"

"Wait a minute. You said 'she' and 'her'. A _female _colleague? Oh, Sra."

"I know, I know. But…you can't help who you feel attracted to, Cam Cam."

"Okay, let's forget about all the serious business. Come on, grab a couple beers and let's crack 'em," she grinned.

--

"I can't believe you ran down the street in nothing but your underwear screaming 'catch me if you can'," one of the bride's maids laughed hard enough to choke on air. "And you ran along side her, Sara?"

Sara nodded as he turned beat red from embarrassment and laughter. "Yep. We did everything together when we found the time. God, college was great."

The five of them shred several more moments of laughter in the house before Danielle, the non-believer of Sara and Cameron's wild adventures, stood with Chardonnay in hand and gathered the rest of the women's attention.

"I say we do something crazy like that! I say…we play truth or dare," she proposed with her platinum blonde hair down to her chest, crimped to a perfect half-mess.

"Oh, no, Danielle. I gave up childhood games for lent," Sara frowned through her joke.

"It's not lent," Danielle frowned as she knit her brows.

"Yeah, but normally when I give things up for lent I give them up or good."

"Oh, come one! Live a little. We're definitely not as young as we used to be."

"Speak for yourself," Chelsea, an auburn haired woman in her early thirties, refuted.

That got the crowd of mid-thirty year olds to laugh. Chelsea was only three years younger than Sara who shared the title of "oldest" with Cameron at thirty-five years old.

"Yeah, okay, Chels," Martha, the second oldest with her brunette hair to match Sara's spoke up. "You wish you had found the fountain of Youth. Truth is, we all get grey hair eventually."

"Anyway," Danielle brought them back to her point. "Let's do it!"

The other four women, three undecided and one claiming had quit silly games cold turkey, looked at each other to determine what they would do next. Sara sighed and smiled up at Danielle before she stood up herself.

"Fine…let's go," she conceded with the blonde.

"Awesome! Who's with us?"

--

"Cameron," Chelsea tried to subside her laughter. "Truth or dare?"

"Hmm…truth."

"Oh, c'mon, Jeopardy," Sara whined. "You've picked truth the entire game."

"Hunh, fine. Dare," she declared against her better judgment.

Chelsea cracked a grin with her devilish glare, a wild glint in her eye. "I dare you to run down the street in only your underwear…like back in college."

Sara laughed hysterically with tears in her eyes until Chelsea finished the dare. "I wouldn't be laughing, Sara. You're going to join her." Sara coughed, choking on her past laughter. "What?"

"You heard me. So come on, show you love…and some skin."

"Damn it," Sara and Cameron simultaneously cursed their immediate future.

"Whoo hoo," the three fully clothed women cheered as Cameron and Sara removed their last articles of clothing.

There they stood, in the doorway of Cameron's house, wearing nothing but black lace bras and panties. They shared similar tastes and dislikes and they always had a knack for being completely in sync and inseparable so it was no surprise to any of them they appeared in matching pairs of undergarments.

Martha gave a chauvinistic whistle followed by a grin when Sara shot her a death glare. Cameron then laid a reassuring hand on the back off Sara's neck.

"Ease up, Chuck Norris," Cameron lightly joked.

Sara took a relaxing breath and shook out her anger through her arms and head. She stomped her feet to warm up her legs in preparation for the jog she was about to embark upon and jumped a few times for good measure.

"Ready," Danielle started as she forced herself to get her kicks out of it. "Set…go!"

Cameron and Sara took off down the neighborly street, causing all kinds of trouble as they yelled slash sang, "I'm in Love with a Stripper".

"Oh, good God, you can't put a price on this," Martha chuckled as she folded her arms over her chest.

"Chels…that was genius," Danielle clapped while she tried not to keel over and grab her sides from laughing too hard.

"Thanks," she smiled, ending her laughing fit to take the compliment. She rocked side to side like a schoolgirl with a crush as the two dared women locked arms and ran into a skip around the corner of the block.

"Let's lock them out," Martha wickedly grinned. The other two bridesmaids beside her concurred with a nod, wide eyes and the biggest smirks a woman could stretch her mouth to form.

--

"Man, I'm tired," Sara panted as she and Cameron approached the door. "This seemed so much easier when we were livelier."

Cameron lightly cackled and held one of her sides as she took a deep breath. "I wonder why that is," she asked sarcastically.

Sara tried the door, but it wouldn't budge. "What the hell?"

"I _know _I didn't lock it when we left," Cameron suddenly sobered up from the hallucination-causing jog they just endured.

"Of course you didn't. You're hardly wearing anything! Where would you ut the key?"

Sara tried again and failed again. Cameron nudged her aside and worked at the handle herself. Still nothing.

"Those dirty bitches," Sara half laughed.

The bridesmaids all laughed behind the living room window and pointed at Sara Cameron as a few cars passed and honked. "Open up…it's not funny, Sara pounded on the heavy, winter door.

"It's freezing out here when you're not running," Cameron said after she ducked behind a bush.

"Come one! We did what you wanted."

"And more! We sang that song. We didn't have to do that you know!" Cameron began to shiver, but fortunately for her, Jason came to the rescue.

"Hey, you ladies forget your key," he smiled.

"Jason," Sara smiled back, her cheeks rosy red. "I thought you were hanging out with your buddies."

"I was…but I needed something. Apparently I forgot the music."

"Music," Cameron asked as her entire body shook from the weather.

"Yeah, the best man is going to dance. It's the best bachelor party for that reason," he held back a wild laugh. His voice then turned sympathetic and concerned. "Honey, what are you doing behind a bush?"

"Oh, so you ask her, but you don't care to ask why I'm turning purple in m underwear. Cameron, you've always been one lucky girl."

"Sorry, I just assumed this was you trying to boost the entertainment."

"Just shut up and let us in," Sara joked though the three of them knew he seriously wanted inside.

Jason put his key through the lock and turned it. The first thing he heard was Martha, Danielle and Chelsea groan.

"You ruined it," Chelsea frowned.

"Yeah, we were having some real fun for once in our lives and you couldn't let them suffer even a little bit," Danielle knitted her brows and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm trying to get back to my party. There's going to be a lot of fun when my best man dances. Now go back to being normal and find an easier, less humiliating way to have your own fun," he grinned before taking off upstairs like a rocket launcher.

"Where is this party anyway," Sara finally decided to ask.

"Danny's house. I swear, he should've been best man, but Jason insisted on flying his long time friend out here from the West Coast. But then I can't exactly argue when I asked or you."

Sara and Cameron gathered their clothes off the floor and slipped them back on.

"How about a more normal bachelorette party," Sara asked with a smirk.

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**_Thanks for reading and DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :D_**

**_I love feedback and I've already begged for all my other stories. :) Yell at me if you want to, just let me know you're still interested in what I have to write. It's pretty lonely in my domain without your responses. :( _**

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	4. Hello Jason

**_A short one, but I'm happy to post it. More on the way. And as promised, this chapter involves Catherine. :) Enjoy. _**

**_HAPPY THANKSGIVING. :D_**

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"Ah, the crisp Vermont air," Catherine smile as she met Jason at baggage claim."

"Try burning cold. Look at you all bundled up in your ski bunny jacket. So cute," Jason flashed his dimpled smile. "I promise you the opportunity to suffer from hypothermia before you leave."

Catherine giggled. "It's been such a long time. I'm happy to hear you're getting married."

Jason nodded with his genuine, warm smile as he pulled Catherine into a friendly embrace. He rubbed his hand up and down her back like an older brother seeing his little sister for the holidays.

"It's been too long. I miss my best friend," e hoarsely spoke over her shoulder.

"Well, you gave us the perfect opportunity to catch up… Bet man, huh?"

They separated and Catherine raised an eyebrow at him with a grin. She turned and searched for her luggage on the circular conveyor belt as Jason kept up the conversation.

"I would've told you to be Cameron's bridesmaid if you knew her as well as I do. Plus, you always preferred hanging with the guys as I remember." He nudged her with his elbow.

"Shut up, you hardly knew me then. Not to mention, women are always PMSing. That shit's contagious you know."

They shared a laugh.

"As much of a girly girl I appear and can act, I love a little rough housing occasionally."

"Really," he smirked as his pitch, as well as one of his eyebrows, shot up in his question.

"I said _occasionally_. Falling on my ass is not something I love doing though."

Jason laughed and helped Catherine pick her luggage up of the conveyor belt. "You'll love hanging with Danny, Max, and Rick."

"Ah, Rick. I remember him well," Catherine smiled.

"Who could forget a stand up guy like Rick?"

"Belching the alphabet, hitting on women left and right, and don't forget his special ability to drink any alcoholic under the table."

A shared laugh at fond memories passed the time before they instinctively headed to the exit ad furthermore, to Jason's car. They loaded her large suitcase into his trunk and settled in the font seats.

"It's good to see you," Jason smiled, with his fingers coiled around his car keys that rested in the ignition, unturned.

--

Jason and Catherine left her things in the trunk as they headed up the walkway to Danny's domain. Before they reached the front door though, it swung open and three guys rushed out laughing and smiling.

"Wow, I didn't know your best man would be hot," Max, a man unnerved by his sometimes rude comments, started the conversation.

Catherine rolled her eyes. "You know, this is my first time meeting you and already I feel like you're identical to Rick."

Rick then took Catherine's use of his name as his cue and hugged the smoking hot red head. At first, the embrace was harmless, but after a few seconds Rick's hands roamed south and grabbed her backside.

"Okay, hug-time's over," she swatted him away as she redirected his hands down at his sides where they belonged.

Rick smugly chuckled as he backed away and rejoined the other two men he came out of the house with earlier.

Danny took a step forward and stuck out his hand. "Hi, I'm Danny."

"Hi, I'm Catherine, although…I figured you were Danny because Jason told me all about Max in the car."

"And nothing about Rick, huh?"

"I already knew him from high school. In fact…that's also how I know Jason," she smiled.

"Sounds like one hell of a reunion."

They shared a smile before Catherine gave a sideways glance at Rick. Their history was a bit too complex for her to completely smile at him.

"It will be a reunion if we find a cheap motel and she spreads those taught legs for me. Then I can slip between her thighs like the good old days," Rick crookedly grinned.

Catherine cleared her throat and shifted her weight from one leg to the other, her eyes concentrated on the ground.

"Stop making her feel uncomfortable," Jason wrapped an arm around her upper body. "You knew why she went to you and you _know _why she hates discussing it now!"

Catherine took a deep breath and looked up. "It's fine. It's the truth and it's in the past. My sights are set on someone else. It's just a damn shame I keep pushing that person away."

"Red, you're going to have to talk to me about this later," Jason kindly smiled. It always warmed her and made her feel accepted.

Catherine nodded with a smile, but her happiness was short lived as Rick interrupted.

"Aw, well, isn't that special. Who's the meat head you're attracted to this time?"

"Are you calling yourself a meat head," Catherine asked to get on top of the situation.

"Are you saying you were attracted to me?"

"No, but it doesn't matter to you why we _ever _had sex, does it? You come up with any excuse to make yourself feel better. Because, honestly, I only let you touch me because I needed something. It was my way of rebelling and I knew neither of us would get emotionally attached and that you wouldn't give a flying fuck why I was there. No questions, just what I needed. I used you, Rick."

Rick looked a bit wounded at her final sentence, but since he had an image to uphold, he bounced back without making it obvious he was in slightly pain.

"Well, let me refresh your memory. I've seen you naked. How does it make you feel to know that every time I look at you, all I see is you stripped down to my liking?"

Catherine grinded her teeth, but dismissed the pressings of Rick and continued to the front door. She was determined to enjoy her stay. She was determined to enjoy what time she had with her longtime friend, Jason and be the best damn best man that he would talk about with all his other uncommitted friends.

Jason ran back to his place for the music Catherine demanded she have if the guys expected her to even pop, lock and drop it, let alone whatever fantasies they had in mind.

"Much better than a stripper, some random chick," Danny had smiled as he raised a glass to the red head before Jason's music mission.

Rick was especially excited to see what the former exotic dancer would do when presented with all the right materials, but that held no importance to any of the others seeing as how they weren't as cruel.

"I'm back," Jason announced as he bustled back through the door with a wide smile spread across his face and several CD's in his hand.

"Yeah, baby," Max jokingly cheered.

Catherine laughed and rolled her eyes while Danny took the CD's from Jason's hand and slipped one into his stereo. After several seconds of awkward silence, the music started up nice and soft. Danny took his slick remote and swiped a thumb over a circular button to the right. The volume increased.

"Well, I guess I can't hold out on you guys any longer, can I," Catherine asked with a smile, already having internally answered her question. She sighed. "How do you want me to do this? Sexy? Funny? A routine from high school?"

"I kind of like the last one," Jason gave his cute and signature dimpled smile. His dark brown hair went every which way in his rush to retrieve a beat for Catherine's to move to, but his charm kept him looking like a poster child for perfection to any woman's eyes.

"Well, I'm in favor of the first one," slime ball Rick cut in as he spread his legs in an overly casual way, sat back as he slumped into the cushion of the couch, and got cocky as if Catherine was going to slither down a pole for him and only him.

"Then I'll do the last one," Catherine deflected Rick's idiocy and pig-ness. "Come on, Jason. You can do it with me. You'll remember this one."

Catherine smiled and started doing some wacky move only seen in the eighties and turned to Jason for him to jump in when ready.

"Oh, I know this one…but I'm not doing it," he laughed as he continued to follow her steps.

"I think you want to. Pretty please? I have no problem reducing myself to begging," Catherine gave her best innocent-little-sister smile and Jason was three quarters through accepting his duty to relive a high school memory with the dance.

"Yeah, make her beg. She's good at that," Rick said.

Catherine stopped her dancing and steam flooded out of her ears.

"Fuck you, Rick! I'm tired of you trying to get under my skin for something that happened a long time ago. Besides, it meant nothing to the both of us as far as I know, but with the way you've been acting…I'm starting to think maybe you hope I'll get so angry I'll throw myself at you! Well, guess what, Rick? It's not gonna happen. Not now, not ever! Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Rick gulped, but kept a stoic expression. "Crystal."

"Good…now if you don't mind, I'm trying to live in the present, not the past, not fantasy. I want to have a great time here and I guarantee I won't let you spoil it."

With that being sad, the room, with the exception of the music, went completely silent for a moment.

"Wow…you show him, Red," Jason smiled and gave her a good pat on the back.

"Thank you," Catherine took a calming breath in relief. "Now…can we get back to having the most amazing bachelor party ever?"

"Hell yeah," Danny and Max shot up off the couch.

Catherine laughed and bit the tip of her tongue in her smile before she resumed her dance.

"We've got to take you out for drinks after a great time like that, right Rick," Danny breathlessly addressed Catherine until he dropped Rick's name like loose change.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Rick cleared his throat and mumbled.

"You know, I'm really having a better time than I thought I would considering the weather," Catherine smiled. Never in her life could she remember smiling so much.

"Glad to hear it," Jason threw his arm around her shoulders and ushered her toward the front door, the other three following. "Who's car are we taking?"

"We can take mine," Max volunteered. "I just got it a week ago and it rides like cowgirl on an electronic bull."

They all laughed except for Rick. He chose to visualize instead and act like a child throwing a tantrum.

"Lighten up, Rick," Catherine attempted to be nice to him. "Look, I know we've got some issues that will probably never be resolved, but I want _all _of us to live a little while I'm hear. Face it, the only reason why we're all hanging out right now is because our dear friend is getting married. Can we at least set aside our differences for him? It'll only be for the weekend and then I'll be flying back to Vegas, we'll never have to see each other at least for a while. What do you say?"

Rick sighed then looked into her eyes. "I guess that would work."

"Great, now let's get a drink or two. Danny's paying," she volunteered the nicest guy nice to Jason for the job of shelling out cash.

"Now that's one of the reasons why I still think there's a good chance we can be friends again," Rick smiled.

Catherine rolled her eyes and ran ahead of the pack, her hair bouncing around so carelessly as if to reflect her mood. Since she left Vegas, she seemed like a completely different person…and she started to like the feeling. Things were finally falling into place and her life didn't sound like such a train wreck.

For a while it had been man after man in her sheets, Lindsey always complaining she wasn't home enough, her mother always saying she panicked about what Catherine did and the ways she handled her daughter when she actually decided to be around, the fact that almost every case seemed to upset her if she didn't screw it up, and of course Sara Sidle: her number one enemy and the new apple of her eye.

If you added her boss to that list, things definitely needed a good sprucing. He claimed he always had her back, but with every conversation they had it seemed the two of them were separating for the worst and she might be out of a job in well over a year if nothing changed. And yet, all Catherine could focus on lately was her Sara dilemma.

How could she possibly like one of her colleagues? And her only female colleague not including Sofia Curtis, detective, and Wendy Simms, DNA analysis, nonetheless?

Don't think about that now, Catherine thought to herself. This is your time. Don't make it all about her when she's all you see, all you breath, all you eat, all you sleep back home.

No, it was a complicated situation to be dealt with at another time. Another time where she wasn't surrounded by her gleeful past and relaxing through a nice, tiny vacation. Another time when she actually had the guts to even think about the brunette bombshell because she had spent several hours in one week alone puking out what felt like vital organs.

This is about Jason and Cameron, Catherine thought. Forget Sara 'Stubborn as a Horse' Sidle and just be happy for Jason.

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**_Thanks for reading. Now make me feel loved and send a review. :) Yes, no, let me know. I want feedback so if this sucked, I can make it more enjoyable for you readers. :D I love to please you guys. :)_**


	5. History

**_So...first I'd like to say that my weekend is full of some crazy stuff that I need to get done and unfortunately that might not leave me ANY time for my stories, but my research paper is due next Friday! After that I should be free to do a lot more on here...at least for a week because semesters are changing and thats always hectic. _**

**_Another thing is that I'll be on the road again on the 19th, so I'll be posting from hotel rooms at God knows what time. Be prepared for me to either take a while in posting or have multiple errors due to the lack of sleep. And I do try to cut out most of those errors, but at two in the morning, there's only so much more you want to do with something you've worked on for hours, am I right? _**

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"I remember all those nights you'd sneak in through my window on a school night and we would play video games and stuff like that," Jason addressed Catherine over drinks, though all the groomsmen could clearly hear.

Catherine smiled and a memory came crashing back she couldn't ignore.

_Knock knock._

_Her knuckles tapped on the closed window while she crouched on the roof to be seen by her best friend._

"_Hey," Jason grinned as he pushed open the window "What can I do you for _this _evening?"_

_Catherine climbed in and greeted him with their usual handshake and chest bump. They only added the bump for comical effect._

_She walked over to the cooler he kept in his room and propped open the lid as she grabbed two cans of Tab. "What's new?"_

"_Nothing really. June and I have been passing notes lately, but I figured you knew that by now. You know everything."_

_Catherine smiled as she brought the sodas over to Jason and plopped down on his bed. She made herself comfortable and stretched her legs out over his lap after he sat and leaned back against the wall. _

"_So how come I didn't se you at lunch yesterday and today?"_

"_Rick," was her only answer._

"_Why do you keep hanging around him? You know he's not a nice guy."_

"_I'm just having some difficulties in life and time with him helps me forget."_

"_Yeah, I can see that. You definitely would forget considering your giving him blowjobs in bathroom stalls."_

"_Shut up," Catherine defended her actions. "We don't exactly talk like we used to so you have _no idea _what I'm going through."_

"_Well, we're here together now… Let's talk."_

_Catherine sighed and looked into Jason's eyes. She wanted to confess. She needed help._

"That was the only time in high school I ever felt like a girl besides the clothes I wore," Catherine admitted.

Rick tipped back a bottle and chugged two fingers worth of beet. He gave a sideways glance at Catherine and sized her up like he used to back in the day when he actually stood a chance with her and even because f a technicality.

"You gave good head, too," he bluntly stated as he peeled the label of the dark colored bottle.

Catherine's mouth was open well enough to permit access to a few flies. She hated herself for ever having turned to him and she hated that she ever felt she needed to.

"Prom was fun," Jason jumbled out through the awkward setting.

Catherine turned to face her friend and flashed a friendly smile. She put a hand on his knee to say "thank you" and elbowed him seeing as how they sat next to each other.

"That night made me sane," she joked.

"_Catherine, Jason's here," Lily yelled u the stairs to her daughter. She then addressed Jason with a bubbly spirit. "My, do you look sharp. It's so nice that you're taking her and you two are only friends. Here I was, worrying some young man would try and get fresh with her."_

_Jason smiled as he took a step inside and almost nervously readjusted his tie. When he saw her make her entrance as she descended from the top of the staircase though, his eyes sparkled and his mouth dried up._

"_Wow…you look…"_

"_Horrible," Catherine timidly asked, hating the anticipated answer. She convinced herself to slip into a sapphire dress with a low, V-cut and curl her breast length faint red hair. The light reflected off her diamond, "open-heart" necklace and the only sound heard was the serene clinking of charms on her friendship bracelet from Jason. _

"_Why are you staring at me," Catherine asked "date" and her mom._

"_As beautiful as a rippling river in a secluded area surrounded by trees and a rushing waterfall," Jason finished his attempt at a compliment._

_Catherine's cheeks flared in embarrassment while Lily headhunted between the two of them in sock._

"_Maybe I was wrong about not having to worry," Lily absent mindedly stated with wide eyes._

_--_

_Arriving at the school's gymnasium, Jason and Catherine awkwardly walked hand in hand through the double doors that lead to punch, chaperones, laughter, balloons and steamers, a disco ball and dancing. But of course, no prom was complete without the world's best asshole: Rick._

_He smirked at the sight of his disconcerted ex-lover and one of his fiends together at a school dance, their last school dance._

"_Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. Did she give it to you good? She's pretty amazing in the sac, you know."_

"_Shut up, Rick," Catherine demanded._

"_Make me, sugar tits," he chuckled over his sick sense of humor._

"_Hey, buddy, that's harassment," Jason pushed Rick with a few fingers to his chest._

_Catherine took her chance and stepped between the two before things got ugly._

"_Why don't we take this somewhere the teachers can't see," she suggested as she looked from Jason to Rick and cocked an eyebrow._

"_Sure thing, hot ass," Rick said yet another demeaning comment as he began to slip out of the gym. But he couldn't leave without tapping his hand to her ass and giving it a momentary squeeze._

_She tensed and gritted her teeth._

_Once outside, Rick rubbed his hands together upon seeing the radiant red head for a second time that night. Jason, though, wasn't far behind and made sure the back door they had used to come out of was shut tight._

"_So…what else do you have to say to me," Rick flashed a slimy smile. _

_Jason's features were stoic, Rick noted, as Catherine continued in his direction with swaying hips and looks to kill. He didn't have any chance in seeing it coming when her fist fused with his face._

"_Shit," he yelled as he put his hands to his nose. "What the hell's your problem, Flynn?"_

"_You, dirt bag," she bitterly commented before ensuring her knee made contact with his groin._

"_Ow…fuck," he muttered against the pain._

"_Stay way from me, pig. This is your last warning." She straightened her dress and checked to make sure her hair was still flawless before gingerly returning to her gleeful fate's side and linking arms with him._

Danny and Max pointed and laughed at Rick as he broke toothpicks at the table and angrily bit the insides of his cheeks, rage in the depths of his charcoal eyes.

"Man, she really beat you up, didn't she," Danny cackled.

"Well, at least you got what you deserved," Max attempted to stifle his own laughter, but failed.

Catherine smiled and turned to Jason. "You were great that night."

"Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick," Rick threw out there.

"Keep being an ass and I tell everyone what you said to me later that night," Catherine pointed a serious finger and threatened him. Rick hunched over in his chair with tempered eyes and said, "Fuck me, baby, 'cause you're making me hard."

Catherine leaned forward in her chair and mirrored Rick's position. "I wouldn't have done that," she warned with a dangerously low, almost whispering tone.

"_Look…Rick finally decided to rejoin the party," Jason directed Catherine's attention on the scumbag._

_When the two of them locked eyes, Catherine got a wicked idea._

"_Let's make him jealous," her eyes glimmered._

"_Do you really think he'll get jealous?"_

"_If he's still trying t get in my face, I think it's safe to say he still wants me. If we show him I'm unattainable, he might go crazy."_

"_Hmm, I like that way you're thinking tonight," Jason beamed._

_They played it cool for a while, but when Catherine felt his eyes on her and Jason, she nodded to her friend with a smile and leaned in for a kiss._

_Rick felt a pang in his chest as he watched. He had to get her alone. He needed her to know why he didn't want her to toy with him anymore. _

_So when she escaped for a bathroom break, he cornered her upon her exit. _

"_Catherine, I know what you're doing with Jason and I want you to know…I've never had anyone in my life that's treated me as well as you have…and that's pathetic seeing as how all I ever was to you was a quick fix."_

"_You won't get me to like you by admitting that," she coldly pushed on. _

Catherine ended the story there and Jason had to interrupt anyway, so Rick was saved from further embarrassment by two factors. He should've been glad, but all he could do was get angry and considered leaving the party.

"Wait, you never told me about that," Jason fired up the conversation.

"I was being polite," Catherine simplistically answered. She looked over at Rick and knew not to continue, but he couldn't resist.

"You know what I remember best," Rick started.

Catherine gulped.

"_So…we finally graduated. How do you feel about that," he asked after they received their diplomas._

"_Happy that I can finally do things without having to deal with my mom, but upset that I'm leaving her in the state she's in," Catherine honestly and vaguely explained, still in her cap and gown._

_Rick looked her up and down for the umpteenth time that day. Catherine didn't miss a beat with his stare._

"_You wanna forget," he asked as he stepped closer and grazed his fingertips up and down her arm._

_Catherine sheepishly nodded and he whisked her away for privacy._

_He feverishly stripped her of her clothes and laid her down on he bed and ran his hand through her hair as he crawled on top of her._

"_I love it when you beg," he confessed as he pushed her thighs apart and slowly, deliberately, began to tease her._

_She moaned and gripped the sheets, letting all her troubles fall to the floor like her panties. When she begged, she begged loudly with incoherent pleas and breathlessly with fully formed sentences._

_Hearing her plead, he gave her what she wanted because she gave him what he wanted; a give and take relationship._

_Her orgasm boomed throughout the entire room and Rick was able to get a proper release._

Catherine wanted to cry and Jason wasn't helping her case.

"You told me you had to get back to packing because you were going to leave for your dorm early the next day," he nearly shouted.

"I guess there was a lot you didn't tell you _best friend_," Rick snickered.

"Good to know you lied to me about that. What else did you lie about, Catherine?"

When Jason said her name, it usually sounded friendly and warm, full of comfort and compassion. Now when he said it, there were no other feelings besides bitter, callous and savage.

"Nothing," she attempted to defend herself. It seemed all she did that night was defend herself.

"Unless of course you forgot to tell him about why _he _took you to the prom instead of me," Rick purposely blurted with a sick smirk on his despicable face.

Danny and Max could only sit and blink as they watched the argument escalate.

Catherine kicked Rick in the shin under the table in furry before she faced Jason only to find him standing and overly upset.

"You're leaving?"

"Why should I stay?"

"Jay, wait," she begged.

"Go jump Rick in the parking lot or something," Jason growled as he flapped a dismissive hand over his shoulder at her.

Rick cackled as he finished off the final swig of his beer.

Catherine whipped herself around and shot out of her chair. "You self-important dick! I thought we were going to act civilized for his sake. Instead you threw all the things you _know _he didn't want to hear right in his face."

She stormed out, but Rick barreled out after her, pinning her to the stark, brick wall outside the pub they al found themselves at for a round or two of drinks.

"You can't escape me," he purred as he meshed his lower half with hers.

"Yes, I can," she shot back through gritted teeth. She shoved him away and tried to run off to catch Jason before he left with her ride, but Rick was too forceful for her to over power him.

"You can try, but you'll never get me out of your system."

"Ugh," she rolled her eyes in disgust.

Rick slammed himself into her and slipped his tongue between her already parted lips.

"Mm…fuffenuffmm," Catherine harshly furrowed her brows and mumbled as she pushed as hard as she could to get away from him.

He jutted away for air and asked, "Repeat that?"

"Fucker, get off me!"

"You can't get rid of me."  
"I'm in love with somebody and for your information, it's not you!"

She tried to push him away again, but he wouldn't budge so she rammed her knee north and hit his groin.

He winced in pain and stumbled to the side, his ands protectively cupping the effected area.

Catherine carried on in hardly enough time to see Jason take off in his car like a bat out of hell. She emitted an exaggerated sigh and heavily turned on her heel to take a look down at Rick who was now on the ground, curled into the fetal position.

"Thanks to you I need a ride," she said through lazily gritted teeth.

"Yeah," he groaned in pain. "Once I find my balls…I'll give you a ride, Cupcake."

"Pleas tell me that wasn't supposed to be taken sexually," she raised a disapproving hand and was prepared to back away in disgust.

"I meant it…to be perfectly…clean," he struggled to say before taking a deep breath.

Catherine nodded then looked him over again and shook her head with a scoff and eye roll.

"My life sucks," she said more to herself than anyone else.

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**_Thanks for reading. Don't forget to click on the review button and let me know what you liked, disliked or just give me a simple opinion on the chapter or story overall. :)_**

**_Oh, and if you're tired of all the drama, good news comes for you after this chapter. At least for a little while. ;)_**


	6. Dress Up

**_The chapter you've all been waiting for! :)_**

**_Enjoy!_**

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Catherine spent her night curled up in a depression on a strange bed of some local hotel, and in the morning her electric blue eyes focused on the cream colored ceiling for several minutes before she dragged herself to her feet and trudged toward the window for a look at pure white bliss.

She pulled back the curtain and thick sheets upon sheets of snow rested over every surface while tiny flakes gracefully tumbled to join the top layer on ground and roof.

As she exhaled, her breath hit the windowpane and clung in a slightly transparent fog. She relished in the moment where nothing mattered, all things remained a white noise. She slowly reached out and touched the glass with her shy fingertips and relaxed her eyes shut.

A sudden knock on the door startled her out of her peaceful moment and Rick's voice barked through the thick door.

"Hey, wanna get breakfast? Don't forget we have a dress rehearsal this afternoon!"

"Yeah, sure…I'll, uh, be out in thirty," she shouted out to him over her shoulder. When she heard the distinct sound of footfall leading away from the room, she turned back and sighed at the natural magnificence just beyond her reach. Who would ever play in the snow with her like little kids? That question rumbled in her mind long enough to trigger thoughts about her daughter.

I should really take Lindsey out here sometime, she smiled to herself. Maybe not her per se, but somewhere with snow. Every child deserves to know hot it feels to build a snowman and have snowball fights. And I'm sure she'd love to make snow angels out of real snow instead of Styrofoam out of shipped boxes from relatives. One of these days…next time I stock up enough days for a vacation.

Catherine smiled. She was committed to coming back to forty and below weather only she'd share it with someone extra special.

She hopped into the shower for fifteen minutes then slipped into sweat pants and a Dave Matthews Band T-shirt, since she would have to slide into a dress later anyway, and headed downstairs to the hotel's continental breakfast.

Rick had his leather jacket slung over a chair of a table big enough to only fit two people while he gathered two apple pastries, two lemon pastries, three sausage links and two spatula sized portions of scrambled eggs. He then made his way back to the table where Catherine stood staring at him in bewilderment.

"What," he asked like he didn't have enough food on his plate to feed an army. As he sat, he separated a plate from the bottom of his own and placed it in front of her eat she had yet to take. "Half of this is for you."

"Rally," she asked in disbelief.

"Everything except the sausage. I'm only going to give you one of the three."

Catherine couldn't help but laugh as she shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"So how are things with Jason?"

She then changed her demeanor and Rick saw it all.

"I know I shouldn't have lied to him, but I _knew _he didn't like it when I ran to you… Lying was easier. And I hated myself for being so weak."

"You weren't weak. You were in pain."

"He _defended _me time after time when it came to having sex with you! I shouldn't have…" she trailed off to cut her sentence short with a new thought. "There's no reason why I couldn't have talked to him about what was going on."

"He didn't know?"

"Why would I tell him? So he could pity me?"

"Then why did you tell me?"

Catherine hesitated as she looked at down at the empty plate in front of her. "Even if you did pity me, I knew the one thing you would still have on your mind was screwing me. I needed something and I needed you to understand the nights we shared had nothing to do with love or lust."

"I _did _care, Catherine," Rick shakily confessed.

Catherine shot her head up, her heads wide. She wasn't expecting Rick to ever say a thing like that. "What?"

"Every time you told me why you came to my place or wore some short skirt just for me…I wanted to give you a hug and tell you things would get better. …Did they?"

Catherine paused as she contemplated his sweet words, permitting them all the time needed before they finally sank in. "Get better?"

Rick nodded.

"Oh…yeah," she meekly answered. "I-I have a daughter."

"Really? A husband?"

"Do you see a ring on my finger?"

"Huh…jerk?"

"I think he was actually worse than you."

"Good to know if we were the last three people on earth, you'd pick me."

"Yeah…right. Like I would pick either one of you. Not when I could have her."

"So you like women now," he more stated than asked. "I heard you turned to stripping. Fast cash?"

"And I needed the attention. What does that have anything to do with my orientation?"

"You were open to more women than men…intimately I mean. Must've changed your mind along the way," he smirked, pleased at the thought that popped into his head.

Catherine shook her head and rolled her eyes as she usually did.

"You needed attention because of your mom and her 'boyfriends', right? I could see that."

"Plus, it was the one thing she didn't want me to do and I knew it would piss her off."

"You loved to piss her off," he recalled with a grin.

Catherine laughed. "I remember the day the two of you met."

Rick chuckled and nodded. "She hated me. I'd never seen a woman turn so red and have corpse white knuckles. I couldn't tell if she wanted to punch me or faint."

They shared a laugh.

"We had some good times, didn't we," Rick finally asked.

"Yeah…surprisingly we did."

Rick waited a beat. "So who's the lucky lady that's managed to steal your heart?"

"She really gets to me sometimes. Ugh, that woman has a way with fights. She really gets me going. I just…I wish we could at least be friends."

"Let me guess, she's smart, has…brown hair, a bit of an enigma?"

"You know me well," Catherine confessed with a sweet smile.

--

Sara's morning consisted of waking to the sound of Jason and Cameron arguing about something that happened the previous night. She distinctly heard the words "new best man" come from Jason's mouth and "too late" from Cameron's.

She squinted away the sun blasting through the window of the guest room and scratched her head, in turn pushing up her hair before letting it fall flat as it once had been the moment she awoke. And though she wasn't standing next to the window, she could feel the perfectly pale white snow give her a rush in its current cold state. She ached for the feeling of it in her hair as she leaned against the back of a fort from her attacker that continuously pelted snowballs in her direction, the feel of it dancing off her coat after she stood from making her first snow angel, the sound of laughter from the two women she adored.

"What's going on," she huskily asked as she emerged from the room.

"Oh, Sara…you're up," Cameron tiredly started. "Why don't you go get some coffee downstairs. I put a pot on a while ago. I haven't had any yet, but I'm sure it's still warm."

"What's going on," Sara repeated her question with less husk and more demand.

Cameron closed her mouth and awkwardly allowed her eyes to find the floor. Jason spoke up with a sigh.

"My, uh, best man has been a good friend of mine for years, but…last night I found out she's a liar. I'm not sure I want her to stay here as my best man."

"Her?"

"Yeah, I know that's weird, but she's—she was—great to me."

"Hmm," Sara thought about it for a moment. The moment shortly passed and she shrugged. "I say what you should do is actually talk to her about it. Most women have good reasons for lying. Give her a real chance to explain herself. If by then you still don't want her to be best man, you could just take her out of the wedding party and make her a regular guest."

"See, now _that _sounds fair," Cameron found her voice and looked up. "Let's not start arguing. You know we have a dress rehearsal this afternoon, so let's make sure this goes swimmingly." She half commanded him and Sara smiled before looking at Jason.

"Dude…don't stress her out so close to the wedding," she warned with a light, friendly pat to one of his shoulders and then took off for the stairs as Cameron had for some coffee.

"So what do we do before the dress rehearsal," Sara asked her friend over breakfast while Jason spent the time calling his groomsmen and shaving simultaneously.

"I was thinking of going out for a run…but this time we would be wearing jackets and jeans."

"A normal outfit instead of being stripped down to our underwear…I like it," Sara smiled at Cameron's smiling face. "When do you want to leave?"

"Soon."

"Soon when?"

"Once I finish this bagel," Cameron grinned before stuffing the remaining food in her mouth.

Sara laughed and shook her head. "God, how I've missed you."

Cameron beamed as she chewed with an overfilled mouth and stood to get a few things from upstairs. Within a matter of minutes, the two of them hit the cold air and had Sara pleased to be away from the overpowering heat of Vegas.

"So…what are we supposed to accomplish during this dress rehearsal later," Sara asked through their brisk pace.

"Well, it's sort of like a rehearsal dinner except there's no dinner. We're supposed to be practicing where people go and making sure everything around her e in case something goes wrong," Cameron laughed.

Sara smiled. "Too bad you're not providing us with lunch, Noah."

"Oh, your biblical hilarity…it just cracks me up."

"You're the one who said 'two of everything'."

"Whatever," Cameron jovially brushed it off.

After a beat, Sara began, "What about after the wedding?"

"You mean…other than the reception?"

"Of course."

"Well, Jason and I discussed it and we're going with a brunch the morning after. Be prepared to slam your feet into boots and on a board because we're hitting the slopes."

"Damn, I'm glad we're still friends," Sara genuinely smiled.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see all Jason's friends wipe out."

"But they're from here," Sara incredulously laughed.

"And they're not much for sports. Rick's the worst. I bet he'll most likely to wander off and chill in a lodge, trying to pick up chicks."

"Sounds like a keeper," Sara sarcastically stated.

Cameron nodded with a light laugh and looked around for a beat. "One more block."

--

"What do you want to do now," Rick asked Catherine after breakfast. "We've got time to kill."

"Hmm, we could… have a snowball fig!"  
"You're on," he grinned, tugging her by the hand.

They rushed outside without jackets and ducked focus as they sank into the healing, white solid. They hurried their hands in circular patterns around heaps of snow and commenced pelting each other in no time at all.

Catherine shrieked when the cold ammunition hit her in the shoulder. Rick laughed at how rigid she became. It was the most girlish thing he had ever seen her do not including all those times they had gotten physical. She had changed a lot over the years.

After five minutes, both their hands were an unhealthy red and Rick was ready to call it quits, but not before he claimed the titled of champion. Sneaking through the sow, he had considerably large snowball at the ready with a determined expression ofn his face.

Catherine soon became aware of how cold the snow really was when Rick shoved his best weapon under her shirt. She screamed and attempted to jump away from nature's coldest form of beauty, flailing to the feeling of failure.

"That was rotten," she had her first outburst since she left Vegas. This outburst though, was certainly less stressful and less intense than those she had within lab walls.

"I know," he slyly grinned.

Catherine dramatically and jokingly gasped before giving him a playful little punch.

* * *

"This is ridiculous," Catherine thought aloud in a room filled by only her while she stared at her reflection.

She ran her hands over the smooth, silk appeal of her strapless, lime green dress. Though she was in the position of being best man, she had all the freedom to look sexy like the maid of honor. She was told they would wear the same style of dress while all the other bridesmaids wore dressed with sleeves small enough to only cover about a forth of their shoulders.

"I shouldn't have eaten all that cookie dough with Lindsey last week," he groaned as she tried to suck in what little weight she had gained since she gave Jason her measurement.

She sighed and decided it would have to do as she turned away from the mirror and headed toward the door.

She swung the door open and frantically threw herself into the hallway without so much as a single look. The instant both her feet were on the other side of the way, she collided with another body and almost fell on her ass.

Her hands bolted out, as did the hands of the other body, and latched on to feminine forearms. As she and the other person helped her to straighten out, she met unforgettable and unmistakable brown eyes.

They both questioned the other's presence at the same time.

"Sara?"

"Catherine?"

"What the hell are you doing here?"

They took a deep breath when they realized both their stubbornness would only supply them unanswered questions. Sara signaled for Catherine to talk first.

The red head took her time in looking over her colleague before she asked, "Why are you wearing that dress?"

"Maid of Honor. You?"

"Best Man."

Sara thought about Catherine's answer for a moment. Something Jason had sad earlier triggered her to think about the best man, but she was too baffled to remember. Instead, she settled for an easy question.

"How did you convince Grissom to let you come?"

"I guess I have great techniques of persuasion."

"Well because of you…I almost wasn't awarded with the same privilege."

"Then how are you here," Catherine knitted her brows.

"I have my ways," Sara suggestively stated. Though she didn't want to think about the awkward kiss with Grissom, but her rage toward Catherine always took precedence. "But…my ways of persuasion don't include lying on my back."

Catherine gasped and furry dripped out of her mouth. "Bitch!"

"Whore!"

Suddenly, Sara remembered what Jason had said about his best man. She cared far too much about Cameron to let Catherine ruin it all and she hardly knew Jason to say he was the cheating type, but she had to take full precaution. "If you so much as even _think _about getting into Jason's pants, I'll kill you. No one hurts my best friend and gets away with it."

Catherine could tell by Sara's grinding teeth, the brunette told no lies, but she couldn't pretend Sara hadn't suggested she was actually whore beyond saying the word. She gritted her own teeth and whipped out another remark.

"I'm glad we're only here for the weekend because I don't think I can stand to be around you any longer," Catherine barked.

"What's more, we're on different sides of the wedding party so we'll spend even _less_ time together."

"Even better."

Sara flashed a sardonic smile and continued onward. Catherine made a funny face a second or so, she felt like her heart had been split with a wedge. Her run-in with Sara didn't go the way she had planned.

In her head, she pictured the next time she saw the brunette she would get aggressive and pin her against some wall, feverishly bond their lips, and leave Sara speechless. Instead, she had Sara in a huff before the rehearsal to their friends' wedding.

"I'm such an _idiot_," Catherine furiously muttered.

"Of course you are," Rick said as he walked up behind her. "That's the woman you love, right? Why would you draw out the fight like that?"

"I don't know! She just…gets under my skin!"

"Isn't that the point? You can't have romance without passion and you can't exactly have passion without a fight."

"That's not true," Catherine defended.

"Okay, well, when you fight her it's because you're passionate about her, but you don't think you can have her."

Catherine though about it. "Maybe in the case of her and me."

Rick smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Cheer up. I'm sure she'll come to you."

Catherine furrowed her brows and half smiled, blissfully bewildered.

--

Catherine stared across the alter at Sara, both at the front of the line. It reminded her of the lab, the two of them constantly fighting for some position of power. This time, though, neither one of them fought for anything. They were there for support, for their friends/ She furrowed at the fact Sara continued to ignore her existence, but she smiled at the sight of Sara's gap teeth when the bride directed the people. She figured the two have been close.

The entire rehearsal took a collective two hours due to the conversations and misunderstood directions. Once things were finished, Catherine was ready to go, but Sara had other plans. "So, are we up for a game of strip poker at your place," Sara smiled as she jokingly ran her fingertips up Cameron's arm with Jason only a few inches away.

"Sounds kinky," Rick slithered up into the group. "You think I can spend the rest of the night with you, Jason?"

"I forgave Catherine. That doesn't mean I forgive you,: Jason wore his stern face like out side the gym during their prom.

"Wait, what happened," Cameron asked with concern.

"Maybe I'll explain it later," Jason tiredly said.

Catherine gulped. Just when she thought she could move on, Rick ruined the moment. She wasn't angry with Rick though. They had come to a truce. He was trying; Jason was the one with the issue. But all it would take is time and both Rick and Catherine knew it.

Sara stopped smiling and looked over at Catherine. She seemed curious as she tried to size up the red head.

Catherine fidgeted under Sara's inquisitive glare. She saw in those oddly illuminated brown eyes of hers that Sara wasn't angry; she only wanted to dig and have a better understanding of her character.

If I had a dime for every time she tried to get to know me better…in _any _way, I'd probably have enough money to send Lindsey to college, Catherine thought.

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**_Longest chapter I've ever posted! :D Tell me what you think. Thanks for reading. :)_**


	7. You

**_Sorry it's been so long, too long in fact. But here's the latest and I hope you enjoy it. :) More fun is to come next chapter for sure and we'll get to the hotter things in due time. :D (oh, and just in case...I apologize for any grammatical/spelling errors._**

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"Wait, Catherine," Sara breathlessly rushed after the older woman into the parking lot. "What's Jason talking about?"

"Nothing. Leave me alone," Catherine choked out. She didn't want to cry, but everything seemed too harsh, too depressing, as if she wasn't going to get a break anytime soon.

"Just talk to me," Sara tiredly demanded. "Why does everything always have to be so dramatic with you?"

"Like you're a little socialite," she sarcastically said before she broke down. "You _never _tell me anything!"

Sara wanted to push the conversation toward the redhead, but she knew it wouldn't get her anywhere except on Catherine's list of people that recently pissed her off.. She didn't want to be on that list.

"Fine," she sighed. "If I tell you something...will you tell me something?"

Catherine hesitated. She meekly nodded and took a deep breath. "Start talking."

"The only other person that knows this is Grissom," she started after a beat. She took a deep breath and continued. "My dad...he-he was strict...in his own way. I made him angry and all he did was look at me... So he would take time out of his not-at-all busy schedule to hit me until I was unconscious.

He told me I was worthless time and time again. He got on my mom's last nerve and he would hurt her less than me! But it was still enough to drive her to the extreme... She killed him when I was nine. Stabbed him to death actually."

There was an uneasy silence between them before Catherine took a deep breath and let it all sink in before she gave a slight nod to begin. She explained her situation and tension between Rick and Jason. She included her history with the two and shied away from specific details related to her relationship with Rick in high school.

Sara nodded as she pieced everything together and sighed as though the world schlep off her shoulders. Thankfully, the weight had been lifted and the air, for the most part, was clear between them.

"There's...one more thing," Catherine timidly spoke up. Sara perked up her ears with sympathy on the surface. "I really am afraid that the more times I hear I'm a whore, the more it makes it true. I..I hate when you call me that and I can't pretend it doesn't bother me anymore."

Sara cleared her throat and picked her cuticles as her eyes wandered everywhere except Catherine's face "I hear you."

Catherine took a shaky, deep breath. "Good. I'm glad we got that out."

"Me too."

Catherine gave half a nod and turned back to her car.

"So..I'll see you tomorrow," Sara awkwardly tried to part from her redheaded colleague.

Catherine faintly smiled and nodded as she climbed into Jason's car and pulled out her cell phone.

Sara watched as the doors to the building behind her opened and Jason shuffled across the lot, slid behind the wheel and politely waved goodbye to Sara.

She shook her head with a threatening smile and turned on her heel in the direction of Cameron. Once she rejoined what was left of the group, she locked eyes with Rick and strutted toward him with a wildly smug expression. She raised a and and swept it across his face with a victorious smack.

"I know you and her are at an understanding now...but that's for when I didn't know and you were ruining her life."

Cameron, as well as the bridesmaids, had their jaws resting on the scuffed, tile floor. Cameron was the first to make a move and burst into a fit of laughter.

"Wow! Seriously, Sara? I never figured you as the type to bitch slap," she said.

Sara shrugged and happily skipped along. "I'm bored. Let's go home and have some pizza!"

The bridesmaids all snapped back to reality and vigorously nodded their approval of Sara's suggestion.

--

Only two pieces of pizza remained and were hardening as they cooled from sitting out in an open environment; an open pizza box. The girls were trying to make it through the rash programming on television when Martha waltzed in with a wicked Barbie doll smile cracked across her face.

"Guess what I found," she sang.

"I'm gonna guess I'm not gonna like it because of that mischievous glint in your eyes," Sara joked, though she was unsure of what Martha's expression meant.

"Porn!"

Sara groaned and, with a thunk, her head smashed into one of her hands, Cameron made a disgusted, uneasy face, and the other two giggled and cheered.

As if on cue, Sara's phone buzzed and she thankfully pulled it out of her pocket without a single look at the caller ID.

"Ooh, I have to take this," she feigned an apology with her tone and face.

"Awww," the bridesmaids sported their pouty faces and acted like the whole point to them being under one roof was because of her and not the wedding.

"I know, I'm sorry. Start without me," she said after she had flipped open the phone.

"Wow! I leave you alone for an hour and already you're getting some tail," Catherine joked.

"Oh, hey, Cath. Uh, no. You called at the perfect time actually. The girls are about to put on a porno and if I saw even a _second _of that, my eyes would burn forever."

She laughed before she let an uncomfortable silence pass.

"Cath? You okay?"

"Um, no...that's why I called," she hesitantly admitted. "I'm...I'm horny."

Sara nearly chocked as her eyes bulged out of her head.

"What?!"

"Oh, uh, it's...not what it sounds like."

"Well, horny really only means one thing. What the hell did you mean?"

Sara nearly choke Sara was officially having a panic attack. As much as she wanted a sexually pent up Catherine to come to her for a precious release, the idea was so sudden, it reduced her to shivering.

"I only meant that I'm tempted to run down the hall and hang with Rick."

"Oh," realization set in and it caused her to peek out of the kitchen doorway. She saw a buff man attempted to lamely seduce a woman in a cheesy setting. She silently gagged and contorted her face.

"Tell me what hotel and room number and I'll see you in however long it takes to get there."

--

Catherine opened the door in nothing but shorts cut off immediately following her backside and a skin hugging tank top.

"Whoa," Sara gasped at the sight.

"They have the heat on and it started to get really hot," she awkwardly tried to explain.

"Uh huh," her eyes glazed over as she scanned the length of her coworker's body.

Catherine squeezed her eye shut and bit her lip before sporadically decided to clamp her fist around Sara;s shirt front and yank her inside the room. She opened her eyes after she heard the door shut and looked Sara straight in the eyes.

"Touch...me," the redhead whimpered.

Sara gulped and extended a shaky hand in the diction of Catherine;s chest. Her hand connected with Catherine's right breast and her breath quickened.

"Hmm," Catherine pleasantly hummed. "I'm good for now."

She opened her eyes to see Sara desperately attempted to relax. Immediately, she regretted her choices and felt bad for putting Sara in such a compromising position.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have involved you--"

"No, it's okay." Sara removed her hand and steadied herself. "This better."

"Better?"

"Than you running off and giving in. The thing you fear you'll repeat."

Catherine nodded, understanding the normally enigmatic brunette's logic.

"Rick... Thanks."

"No problem," Sara sweetly smiled.

"I'm gonna go take a cold shower now."

"That probably would've been better to do before I got here considering I wouldn't be here if you had." Sara held in a laugh, though Catherine could tell by the look on her face she was more than pleased with the strange yet hilarious moment.

"Yeah," Catherine half smiled it off before she turned and headed toward the bathroom.

Catherine stepped out and rejoined Sara in the room. Only one of them wore jeans and a shirt while she enjoyed what little there was to watch on television.

The heavenly scent of what could only be Catherine caught Sara's attention. She almost immediately snapped her head in the direction of an angel.

The older woman had on a white towel while beads of water trickled down her glorious figure. Her hair dried without the help of a blow dryer and celebrated its loose copper curls.

"Those stripper days of yours really kept up with you," Sara had to comment once her eyes settled on those priceless thighs.

Catherine looked down and made her legs dance a bit. "Um, yeah. I guess they did."

She looked u p with a sweet smile and sauntered over to the bed where Sara was relaxing."Sorry if that was random, I just....they're still really toned! How do you do it?"

Catherine chuckled. "Dane in the privacy of my own bedroom."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Dance like an over joyous teenager or-"

"Why don't I show you?"

It was a rhetorical question seen by the welcoming glint in her eyes. She crawled onto the bed with her towel being tugged further down her chest with every move she made, but not enough to expose her breasts. She bit her bottom lip and managed to get Sara in sync with her movements.

Her brunette locks hit the portion of the bed before the pillow and her hips squirmed under the control of Catherine's quads and core. She rested her hands on the more than pleasing and taut thighs as she started deep into Catherine's dilated and murky blue eyes.

"I guess that shower didn't work, huh," Sara nervously stated more than asked, panic filling her pupils.

"It did..until I saw you," she purred before capturing Sara's lips with hers.

It took Sara's mind a minute or so to catch up with what was happening, but her body wasted no time at all. Their tongues lavished each others and their hands hungrily roamed milky fields and bountiful hills.

All to quickly, Catherine threw herself nearly halfway across the room.

"Fuck," she muttered as she rushed back into he bathroom.

Sara was completely bewildered. She propped herself up on her forearms and knitted her brows.

"Cat? You okay?"

The door wasn't closed all the way, a poor quality hotel in Sara's standards, but the layout of the room made it impossible for her to see inside the bathroom unless she looked through the mirror on the wall at a specific angle. She wasn't at that angle as she crept toward the sound of a running faucet and the pitter-patter of footfall an enclosed space.

With faltering confidence, Sara slowly pushed the door open to see Catherine attempted to start a second shower while she pressed the towel closer to her now that it wasn't wrapped around her. All she could protect was one side of her body, front or back, with the limitations of the small fabric. Choosing the front, the skimpy towel barely covered even that much of her body.

"What...happened?"

Catherine carefully planed her answer before she said anything.

"It's been a while since I last...you know... So...I..."

"Oh...oh!" Sara unconsciously looked past Catherine's waist with walnut sized eyes. "Was it...good?"

Catherine hesitated. "Awkward."

"Sorry, I'm not exactly sure what to say," Sara started to uncontrollably laugh.

"Shut up! Hasn't it been a while for you too, Little Miss Antisocial?"

Sara's laughter subsided and she took a step inside the bathroom, toward the toilet where Catherine sat. She got on her knees and put her hands on Catherine's calves.

"Sorry," she genuinely smiled with innocence and kissed Catherine's knees. "It's been long enough for me. At least..with another person.

Instead of focusing on the floor like she had been throughout Sara's apology, Catherine's eyes darted up to meet Sara's with an open mouth.

"Wow, um...okay. So...are we...deciding to be open with each other now?"

"Apparently."

Catherine giggled. "Sorry for 'attacking' you."

"It's okay. It was _hot_!"

They shared a long laugh.

"Maybe this wedding isn't so bad with you in it," Catherine admitted with the cutest smile Sara had ever seen.

"Before we get too sappy with the things we're about to say, let's move on and watch a movie or something."

"Sounds good," Catherine gave half a nod.

Sara got off the tile floor and left the room only to come back a minute later with baggy pajamas for Catherine. She stuck out her hand that held the sleep wear and smiled.

"Here you go."

Catherine blushed before she thanked the brunette for her efforts.

"So...what do you want to watch," she asked Sara.

"I'm kind of tired....I was hoping we could just put something on and fall asleep."

"Okay," Catherine genuinely agreed after a short beat.

Before the two of them fell into a deep slumber, they shared the thought, It had to be you I want.

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**_As always, let me now what you think and chapter eight is already in the works. :) Thanks for reading._**


	8. Wedding Bells

**_As promised, Chapter 8! :) Enjoy. (Hopefully I got all the mistakes. :P) _**

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Catherine stretched herself out by arching her back. Her eyes remained shut as he was only then waking up for the day. Her front made brushing contact with some unrecognizable form and her brows furrowed before they cracked open far enough to make out a silhouette.

The curtains were comfortably open and the sun, though it was mightily burning, wasn't overwhelming to Catherine as she began to sit up in the bed. Due to the position f the rising ball of light, it was pleasant to stare out the large window.

She looked down at the no longer shaded figure and identified the face as Sara's. She gasped and put a hand to her mouth.

Sara rolled onto her back, eyes still closed, and sighed as she ran a hand down her front until it finally cane to a rest on her stomach.

"Oh my God," Catherine whispered to herself. "I can't believe I said all those things last night. Damn it."

She hit her forehead with the heel of her palm and blew out a tense breath. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, but by the time her eyes refocused on her sleeping partner, Sara began to stir.

"Oh, crap," Catherine muttered.

Sara stretched out and yawned before her eyes opened to the redhead.

"Good morning," she refrained from smiling though she sounded jovial for a non-morning person.

"Morning," Catherine forced a smile. She took a deep breath and started. "About what I said last night...and why you're here-"

"It'll be out little secret and between us, I'll make sure to forget I," Sara smiled as she sat up.

Catherine still felt exposed and as much as she wanted to give in and tell all, she still feared Sara's reaction if she let her guard down.

"Oh, what time is it," Sara brought the older woman out of her weighted thoughts.

Catherine hadn't even thought about that yet. She looked at the alarm clock to her right, out of Sara's line of sight, and her eyes bulged out of their sockets.

"We have to go! Start getting ready!"

She sprang out of bed and had Sara worried.

"What? Why?"

"We only have an hour until we're supposed to be at the church!"

"Oh shi- we seriously slept for over ten hours?!"

"Apparently," Catherine huffed as she frantically grabbed at her dress.

Sara rushed out of bed much like Catherine had and darted to the first mirror she saw.

"Do my make up?"

Catherine stopped midway through removing her shirt, the material barely over her head and stuck in the air. She stared at Sara like a deer caught in headlights and waited for her motor functions to work again.

"Catherine?" Sara turned her head and furrowed her brow at her frozen friend.

Still no response.

"Is it a problem that I'm asking you for help?"

That got her to snap back to reality.

"No, it's just....something I never thought I'd hear from you. Not to mention, asking _anyone _for help. You're always so...self-dependent that it's just a...sock!"

Sara's expression lightened as a laugh, in the form of a smile, spread across her face.

"Well...I need help. I need you."

Catherine gulped. Whatever that last sentence meant to Sara, she was sure it didn't mean the same for her, for both of them. She blinked a few times before she again rejoined the world.

"Okay, just...give me a minute to put on my dress."

She discarded her shirt and shorts and slipped into the silky smooth and beautifully glossy formal wear. Then she made her way to Sara, still in font of the mirror, and smiled.

"I'm so glad I brought my curler."

Sara chuckled and stepped aside for Catherine to effectively work on her.

"Be gentle," Sara suggestively joked.

Catherine had a wicked glint in her eye as she coyly smiled and stepped directly in front of the brunette, separating her from the mirror. She, in Sara's eyes, puled her curler out of nowhere and turned it on.

"Give it a few minutes to warm up and be prepared." She set it down and moved on to the eye shadow.

After half an hour, Sara had baby doll resembling curls, lightly applied lime green eye shadow in compliments of the dress, and clear lip gloss that only served to accent her temperately pink lips.

"You should let me paint your nails or something," Catherine lifted one of Sara's hands in her own and examined them.

"We don't have time. What about _your _makeup?"

Catherine couldn't help but laugh.

"Fine, I'll do my make up before I worry anymore about you."

Ten minutes later, Catherine had the makeup to match Sara's except the fact she had put blush on herself and kept her hair straight. The only reason Sara didn't have any blush on was because she insisted she didn't need it and explained her skin would dry if it were applied.

"_Now _can we worry about you,," she asked with a hidden laugh, though Sara knew all too well Catherine was enjoying the moment.

Sara rolled her eyes. "Show off."

Catherine laughed. "Yeah, I am... You know what I wanna do?"

The younger woman furrowed her brows and, on the outside, seemed only bewildered while internally her heart rate was so erratic she thought she would have a heart attack.

Catherine sized up her colleague and unconsciously allowed the tip of her tongue to slither and glide over her upper lip.

"I love it when you do that, but...right now it's scaring me," Sara confessed.

Catherine finally stared into Sara's eyes and smiled. She walked out of the picture for a moment and came back with two black lace ribbons in her hand. She placed one of the counter and got down on her knees to wrap the other around Sara's ankle.

"What's this for?"

"It's kind of like a friendship bracelet. I usually put them in my hair, but...that's not going to happen today."

Sara smiled and watched Catherine tie the fabric around her tattoo-less ankle. When she finished, Catherine focused her attention on the tattoo. She traced the ink with her fingertip.

"Why a flower," she asked with knitted brows.

"I'm a surfer girl at heart," she obviously joked. "Honestly, I _do _like surfing, but I can't really explain it. If you want me to have a tattoo for you to understand the meaning, let me get one of your name."

Catherine stood up and cocked her head to the side. She tried to read the brunette, but here was something about that woman that blurred her every thought.

"Maybe you should just one. Why ask me? It's your body."

"Do with it what you want," Sara purred with a coy smile.

Catherine mimicked her expression before she invaded her personal space.

"Is that an invitation?" She ran the back of her fingers down Sara's arm, which gave the brunette goose bumps.

"Not before the wedding," Sara almost couldn't say.

Catherine stepped her movement and thought about what she heard for a second.

"Come on," she got serious. "We've got place to be and people to see."

Catherine quickly grabbed the lace ribbon she had placed on the counter and they dashed off to Sara's rental car.

--

The church had this about it that neither Sara or Catherine could put their finger on. All Sara could think was how meant to be her friend's marriage was as she made some final adjustments to her appearance and boosted Cameron's confidence.

"How are you feeling?"

Cameron took several deep breaths and gulped.

"I'm nervous, but I'm happy. And I'm _not _getting cold feet, it's just...it hasn't felt real until this moment."

Sara smiled.

"You're incredibly lucky."

Cameron held a smile, but knitted her brows all the same "I know that, but why are _you _saying it? And don't lie by telling me it's your duty as maid of honor."

Sara noted the finger pointed at her as a warning to tell the truth briefly chuckled.

"You get to marry the person of your dreams. Even if I could get Catherine to go out with me, I could never completely have her, be married to her."

"What do you mean?"

"Even if we went somewhere that grants gay marriage it wouldn't be recognized by the state of Nevada."

Cameron smiled despite the heartbreak of the situation. She reached out and rubbed Sara's arm.

"At least today you get to walk her down the aisle."

Oh my God! I have to walk with her down the aisle!"

She started her panic breathing and wiped her hands on her dress because she felt as though her palms were sweaty. They weren't of course, but it was all part of her panicking process.

Cameron laughed. "And you're supposed to be helping _me_ not freak out."

Sara took several calming breaths and focused on Cameron and the flowers. Then came knock on the door and a burly man's voice on the other side.

"Honey, are you ready?"

Cameron took a deep breath and smiled. "Yes, dad. You can come in if you want."

The door swung open and her father took in the scene.

"Sara! How come I haven't seen you until now?"

His smile warmed her and his bear hugs made her smile. Though Grissom looked after her well enough, he didn't have the same compassion as a human being. It was one of the reasons why she stopped chasing after him.

"Sorry," she started as she wrapped her skinny arms around his muscular physique. "I was busy with... Well, she's your daughter, you know I was busy with _everything_."

They shared a laugh as they coolly separated.

"Well, I'm so glad you're here. We've got so much to catch up on, don't we," he asked as he looked her over. "Boy, you're all grown up."

Sara chuckled and nodded. "And your gray hairs are more distinguished. It's been a while."

He laughed and affectionately shook her arm before speaking again.

"Well, everyone wanted to make sure you weren't getting cold feet."

Cameron sweetly smiled. "I'm fine...apparently taking to much time."

"Well, Jason's ready. We wanted a progress report, that's all."

Sara grabbed the bouquet of flowers, set them in Cameron's hands and flashed her famous gap toothed smile.

"We're good to go."

The doors opened and the crowd stood and turned to watch. The music started up and Catherine and Sara couldn't have looked more nervous if they were watching a complete stranger give birth.

Catherine looked to her left at Sara and took a deep breath. Sara met Catherine's stare and gulped. She nervously offered her arm to the redhead and felt her coil her own around it.

Sara shivered and Catherine smiled, stifling a laugh as they made their way toward the alter. Within the blink of an eye though, thy had to part. Their hands lingered toward the other's before they took their positions. There was almost a silent agreement between them as they stared at each other..

--

"So...? How did it feel," Cameron asked Sara with a smile.

"Walking with Catherine?" It was..bone shaking," she confessed. "I've never felt so terrified yet so...alive!"

"You really need to talk to her then."

"I know, but...I like how things are between us right now."

"Unsure of where you are, you mean? Yeah, that sounds like the perfect place to be with a person. 'We only hate each other sometimes'," she mocked.

"No, we can see one another for who we are, but don't verbally accept it." Se sighed. "It's complicated, but I'm scared that if we talk, it'll ruin everything and...make things awkward."

"Like they aren't already?"

"You know what I'm trying to say. She and I click when we don't talk about it. The only time we need to talk is when we make decisions and things like that."

Cameron slowly nodded and gave Sara a knowing look.

"You really should figure out where you want to be. In her head or in her bed?"

"What, I can't have both," Sara deliberately joked with an over exaggerated, innocent look.

Cameron laughed and Sara joined in.

"I know that I want her around me all the time...and I'm wiling to take on her daughter...and I _definitely _want to have her in bed, sleeping or not. It's like...I could live without her, but why would I want to?"

There was a pause.

"I think you just answered the question," Cameron gleefully grinned.

Sara thought about it and sighed in realization.

"I think you're right. I'm gonna talk to her. At the reception."

I hope she listens, Sara thought through the smile she displayed for Cameron's sake.

**

* * *

**

**_Don't forget to review. ;) Thanks for reading and for all the reviews for chapter 7! :D Chapter 9 might take longer to get out than this one did so bare with me. And I haven't forgotten about my other stories...I just need more motivation. :) So if you'd like to read some of those such as Wonder Years and Welcome Vegas and leave a review, I'd be more than happy to supply the next chapters. :)_**


	9. Dance in the Dark

After the lovely couple had their dance, everyone joined in and swayed to the romantic song. It seemed Catherine and Sara were the only ones not out on the floor enjoying the party. Even Rick, Martha, Danielle, Max, Danny, and Chelsea held each other close and stepped in time to the rhythm.

"I'd ask you to dance, but...I figured you'd want to wait until the beat picked up," Catherine shouted across the table and over the music.

Sara nodded as she scanned over the crowd for the millionth time.

Catherine felt the two were growing distant when of course at the wedding, they had never appeared so close, with the exception of a few cases they flawlessly worked.

She took the empty seat beside the brunette, the bride's seat, and placed her hand over top of Sara's on the table.

Sara jumped, not expecting the sudden contact, and stared into Catherine's welcoming blue eyes. As if on cue, a party song came on and Catherine's sweet face turned predatory.

"Come on,"she wickedly grinned as she bounced onto her feet and tugged on Sara's hand. "Let's dance!"

Before she knew it, Sara was on her feet and yanked onto the dance floor, Catherine ready to show off her best moves and that, of course, would be _all _her moves.

Then, all too suddenly, Catherine took charge and gripped Sara's hips. She stepped closer to the younger woman and their thighs brushed.

Goose bumps popped up on Sara's arms and her breath became a bit labored. She hesitantly put her own hands on Catherine's arms as they danced in sync with each other. They had never felt o connected. They now shared an incredible bond.

"Catherine...I think we should talk."

"We are talking," she purred as she forced them to grind on each other.

Sara grinned and ran her hands up Catherine's arms, over her shoulder, and tangled her fingers in her hair. She pulled Catherine's lips onto hers and the contact couldn't have been sweeter.

They moaned and tore their lips apart though they remained in a lover's hold.

I like our talks," Sara smiled.

Catherine giggled. "I've always like our talks."

"Maybe we could continue this conversation somewhere private?"

"Funny, I was just thinking the same thing," Catherine grinned before she bit her bottom lip.

They scampered off to one of the coat rooms, fingers laced, and shut the door.

"Too bad there isn't a bed in here," Catherine said after she flicked the switch and looked around.

"I don't need a bed," Sara forcefully said as she lifted Catherine and threw her against the wall.

Catherine grinned. "I guess it helps that I'm wearing a dress."

Sara shared her grin as she felt Catherine wrap her legs around her waist. She crashed her lips onto the redhead's and they got swept away in the pure, fiery touch of the other.

Sara started to kiss down Catherine's jaw and neck when the door burst open. An unsuspecting couple ready to leave, stood speechless in the doorway.

Sara let go of Catherine and blushed. Catherine looked like a deer caught in headlights again as she too blushed and landed on her feet.

"Sorry" they unintentionally simultaneously apologized.

Catherine took Sara's hand and Sara lead them out past the couple. Once they were out of earshot, Sara spoke.

"Maybe I _do _need a bed."

Catherine laughed before she chastely kissed her.

"If you did have a bed, there'd probably be a lock on the door."

"Yep, and then people wouldn't interrupt us and we could get it on the _right _way."

"With music to set the mood," Catherine joked.

"I'm thinking Barry White or Marvin Gaye, what do you think," Sara continued the little joke.

Catherine laughed again as they headed back toward the party.

"I guess we'll just have to wait."

"I've waited far too long already," Sara half whined.

"I promise it only gets better the longer you hold out," Catherine tried to help Sara feel better.

"Yeah, and last night proves that, right?"

Hey, I _can try _to hold it off...and you can make me cum more than once," Catherine winked as she said the last part.

Sara became severely smug.

"I hope so because I've got quite a few fantasies to live out with you."

"Save some for another time at least," Catherine's eyes bugged out of her skull didn't expect Sara to be so ready and overcharged..so to speak.

"I come up with a new one every day, but don't worry...I'll go easy on you. I've got about there in my head right now."

"Damn it."

"What," Sara couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm wet now."

She giggled. "Because f the fantasy thing? Wow."

"Stop laughing. It's not funny;. I don't have any extra panties you know!!"

"So don't wear any!"

"You would that, wouldn't you?"

Sara continued to laugh as she nodded. She took a moment to look over Catherine and composed herself. She forced Catherine into the nearest ladies room and locked the door.

"Sara, what are you doing," she breathlessly asked. Though she may have sounded terrified, she loved the rough side of Sara, it excited her. Nothing like a partner in charge to turn up the heat.

Without uttering a single word, Sara ran her hand up Catherine's dress and hooked a finger inside the lacy material. She grinned before slamming her lips on Catherine's pulling down her panties.

Catherine gasped as Sara crouched down while she slid the undergarment past her knees.

"Step out," she grinned when she looked up into the redhead's passionate blue yes.

She did as she was told and found herself commando at a wedding reception.

"You make me do crazy things, Sidle," she joked through a bubbly smile.

Sara beamed.

"And to think...this is the first time we've officially been nice to each other."

Sara offered Catherine her panties back and Catherine smiled when she took them.

"My purse is at the table," she flatly stated.

"How embarrassing for you," Sara teased as she sauntered toward the door.

Catherine had to think fast. It was war.

"I'll let you fulfill part of a fantasy. Anything you want on _your _terms."

Sara turned round with a sharp grin.

"Seriously?"

Catherine nodded with a sweet smile.

Although Catherine didn't think it was possible, Sara's grin spread and that infamous wild glint of hers flooded through her walnut colored eyes.

"I want you on the counter," Sara said before checking the stalls for feet. Thankfully no one occupied the bathroom expect the two of them.

Catherine sashayed over to the sinks and pulled herself backward onto the counter.

"I can trust you, right," Catherine nervously asked.

Sara smiled as she took a few steps in Catherine's direction.

"If you have any objections, speak up and I'll stop."  
Catherine smiled away her nervousness and gave a nod for Sara to start again.

"Put your feet up on the counter as well," Sara grinned.

Catherine moved back, curious as to where Sara's instructions were going, and placed her heels on the edge of the counter.

Sara's eyes allowed a craze of craving to pass and Catherine caught it without a doubt.

"Now what," the strawberry blonde asked.

Sara grinned and purred, "Tease yourself."

Catherine nervously bit her tongue and slowly lifted a hand to her chest. She ran her sputtering fingertips down her sternum, over her stomach and onto one of her thighs. She gave a bit of a grip and pulled toward herself, in which the hem of her dress came with her.

Sara could see silky thighs and moaned as her eyes relaxed shit for several moments. When they opened, Catherine was extended n a lazy position, her back slouched against the mirror, her free hand resting atop her head, her legs wide open to give Sara an intoxicating view.

She bit her lip and took a step forward. When Catherine's hand reached her folds, the world completely faded away for the both of them.

Catherine moaned when she watched Sara take another step closer to her.

"You want me, she wanted to ask, but instead stated.

"How do you know me so well," Sara grinned as she took yet another step, which brought her to the edge of the counter.

She placed her hands over Catherine's feet and moved them under her thighs. From there, she began to pant and decided she wanted Catherine close.

With her hands still on the underside of either thigh, Sara pulled Catherine away from the mirror and, in doing so, forced Catherine to practically do a sit-up into her arms.

Catherine wrapped her arms around Sara's neck and huffed out air in her labored breathing.

Sara smiled.

"You're not going to take what you want from me and go back to being a bitch at work, are you?"

Catherine bit her bottom lip and angled herself in Sara's arms so the brunette's knuckles grazed between her folds.

"Who's in the position to take what they want and leave," Catherine stated more than asked.

Sara grinned and ran her knuckles down further to the point she decided to extend a few fingers. She took her time running her fingertips up and down her superior's clit before she plunged into her opening with three fingers .

She pushed in so far that even her knuckles were covered in Catherine's slick core. She entered new territory literally and figuratively and stared down her captor.

Every movement they made, they shared. They fell in sync and went slow. Their sensual rhythm caused them to sway and after several minutes, beads of sweat patiently danced down their over heated skin.

A booming knock came from behind the locked bathroom door with Cameron's voice pleading on the other side.

"Hey, I really need to pee! Whoever's in there, can I come in?" She dropped her pitch to a mutter. "Geez, I told them to make _sure _the bathroom was open."

"It's me, Cam Cam," Sara called out to her friend while she and Catherine lightly laughed about the situation.

"Either this wasn't meant to happen, we're _extremely _unlucky people, or we should wait for a better time. You know, when we're alone," Catherine smiled.

"Oh," she said with a twinge of shock and apology. "Is ther someone in there with yo or-"

"Guilty," Catherine said, still in the position for Sra to pleasure her.

"O-o-oh," she stuttered. "Uh, sorry. I'll, uh, I'll get Jason o stand guard in the men's room. Forget I was ever here."

"No, it's okay," Sara started as she headed toward the door. She swiftly flicked the lock to the left and pulled at the handle as Catherine swung her legs over the edge of the counter and remained there. "There's no way we could continue after your little interruption anyway."

"Cute," Cameron smiled. "I'm actually starting to think you two are the ones who need the honey moon."

"Joke all you want. You're just jealous because I'm getting what I want when all you want to do ois take Jason out of there and a 'party'."

Catherine laughed and jumped of the counter.

"I'm gonna head back to the reception and have myself a drink," she bounced out of the room.

Sara stared after Catherine with lust. She even went as far as to lick her lips with her eyes glued to the redhead's ass.

Cameron rolled her eyes.

"Does she really enjoy being objectified?"

"It got my hand up her dress," she coyly responded. After a beat on her way out, she spoke up again. ""Don't worry. I'm not a bad guy. I love every little thing about her."

"So take your unlucky streak with her as a sign. It's not supposed to be heavy out of lust, but out of love."

"Wow," Sara seemed impressed. "That was...the lamest thing I've ever heard."

Sara laughed and Cameron scoffed.

"You think a lot of things are lame. What actually matters to you? Anything?"

Sara sighed then smiled at the image she created at Cameron's question.

There was this one time when I saw her at the park wit her daughter. They wore shorts. I know that sounds strange and stupid to mention, but Catherine never wears short. But she really shou- Anyway, they were playing tag and Lindsey was 'it'. She came up behind Catherine when she was purposely out in the open. Lindsey jumped onto her back with this huge smile... It was the sweetest, cutest thing I've ever seen. It's what really matters to me."

Cameron smiled.

"Too b ad she probably doesn't think anything like that about me."

"As much as I'd love to talk you off the cliff thee, I really have to pee."

Sara laughed.

"Go. I've got a few dances left in me yet."

Cameron smiled and headed into a stall while Sara pushed open the door and made her exit.


	10. Boards and Brunch

_**Sorry for the extreeeeemely late update, but I hope you enjoy. Thank you so much for sticking with me and thank you for PMing and reviewing to encourage the continuation of this story. I'm going to try and update this a little more this year. Slow and steady, but still updating! :)**_

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Boards and Brunch  
**

Sara smiled in her bed the next morning, still asleep and loving every last thought that ran through her mind. She took a deep breath and sighed before she opened her eyes for the first time that day and happily stared out the bedroom window. Plenty of snow still on the ground, the sun hit it in such a way she couldn't resist the thought of carving it up on the slopes.

"Sara, are you up," Cameron asked through the closed door. "Jason's ready to go. We're just waiting on you."

"Yeah, I'll be out in ten," she said as she sat up in the bed.

"Okay," Cameron said as she walked away from the door.

Sara continued to smile and stare out the window, thoughts of the previous night fluttering through her head.

She chuckled and got to her feet, shuffling toward her clothes.

I love Vermont, she thought with a huge grin on her face.

Rick pounded on Catherine's hotel room door and ordered her to let him in.

"I'm not ready," she yelled out to him with a groggy voice.

"That's why I'm here. To make sure you get ready...now! ...So open up."

She groaned and dragged herself out of bed and to the door.

"This friendship thing is becoming a real hassle for me," she said as she opened the door.

He smiled and looked over her tired features and tangled hair.

"I take it you had a great time last night," he snickered.

"I did. I just wish I'd gotten laid. Then I'd have more to smile about."

"Well, you can smile about snowboarding, can't you? That's what's on schedule for today. Brunch at the lodge about half an hour from here."

"Great, because that's just what I needed. A chance to embarrass myself in front of everyone and chap my ass on freezing terrain," she sarcastically said as she stepped away from the door.

Rick stepped inside the room, a smile still on his face, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, come on. How bad could it be? You take a spill like most of us there and you have a good laugh. Snowboarding is the perfect way to wrap up a great get-together, especially since none of us here will see you for a while."

She sighed.

"Good point."

She rubbed her face and tried to wake herself up within a matter of minutes.

"I'm gonna take a shower. Feel free to enjoy the television while I do that and don't even think about walking in on me."

"There are locks on the bathroom doors, you know."

"Have you ever known me to lock the door?"

"That's true. I never understood that about you, though."

"It's simple...if I'm going to take a shower with someone else in the room, I trust them enough to either let them see me in the shower or I trust they'll keep away from me in the shower."

"And you expect me to keep away?"

"Years have passed, Rick. I'm really not as good looking naked as I used to be. I would hope you'd like to remember me fantasy wise in the best condition possible."

"Well, you might not look the same...but I sure as hell still want to see you wet and naked," he grinned.

She smiled.

"Oddly enough, that actually makes me feel better about myself."

"Glad to help."

She laughed and shook her head as she disappeared into the bathroom.

"Promise me you won't come in here," she asked through the door. "It's a big thing for me to trust you after everything we've been through, you know."

"I know. You have my word. I'll keep to myself on this side of the door."

"Thank you."

* * *

"Who's ready to go boarding," Jason asked as the wedding party gathered at the ski resort's front doors.

"Bring it," Sara smiled before she looked over at Cameron.

"Oh, did I just hear a challenge," Cameron asked with a tiny grin.

"Maybe," Sara smirked. "Unless you don't think you can handle my mad skills."

Catherine shook her head and laughed, as did the rest of the group.

Within twenty-five minutes, the lot of them had their gear and day passes and were ready to head out. Catherine grew more and more nervous by the second, her hand reaching out to grab Sara's as they headed toward the first ski lift.

Sara smiled as she stared ahead when she felt Catherine's fingers lace with hers. She lightly squeezed Catherine's hand to comfort her. Catherine looked at Sara and leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek. The sweet and simple gesture gave the brunette goose bumps.

"Get a room," Rick teased from behind them.

When Catherine looked back at him, he only smiled and she couldn't resist the urge to playfully slap him on his arm and chest.

Sara lightly laughed and kissed Catherine on the cheek before she could turn back around.

"Now I think I'm gonna barf. All this lovey dovey affection is killing me."

"You know you're a sucker for it," Sara said as she watched Catherine giggle beside her.

Cameron shook her head with a wide smile spread across her face as Jason wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Are you guys even a couple," Danny asked.

Sara and Catherine looked at each other.

"No," they simultaneously answered.

"You sure as hell act like it," Martha piped up behind them.

Chelsea smiled.

"I think it's cute. Just because they're getting along as well as they are, doesn't mean it needs to be anything more than what it is."

"Little Miss Young Love over here," Danielle joked as she hitched a thumb over her shoulder at Chelsea.

Max chuckled.

"Let's just enjoy the day ahead of us and not worry about semantics."

"Here, here," Jason shot a fist in the air.

Cameron laughed and gently slapped his back.

"Dork."

"That's what you love most about me, isn't it...Mrs. Dork."

Sara's smile widened.

Catherine leaned in and whispered in her hear.

"I can't wait until we're alone so I can show you what I love about you."

Sara bit her lip and tightened her grip on Catherine's hand.

"Something tells me there's a lot to love, even though I'm not sure I agree," Sara replied.

"Hmmm, sounds like you need me to teach you," Catherine started to purr.

Sara snickered.

"You'll be the best damn teacher I've ever had. I can tell."

Catherine laughed.

"I hope this lasts even after we get back home."

Sara wanted to nod or promise it would, but the fear of becoming her schizophrenic mother reared its ugly head. She couldn't escape her past, no matter how hard she tried, she always knew she'd find some way to screw up everything amazing about her life. She knew she'd find a way to keep herself distant and miserable like her mother always bitterly warned.

"Are you okay," Catherine asked as she felt Sara's hand shake.

"Uh, yeah. I just...had a bad thought."

"Something I said," Catherine started to worry.

"No, I just...it's me. ...Don't worry about it."

Sara smiled again and looked into Catherine's eyes. She tugged Catherine toward the ski lift and got on a bench. Half way to the top of the lift, Sara leaned over and chastely kissed Catherine on the lips. They stayed connected by their lips for a good fifteen seconds before Sara put her hand on Catherine's jaw and a more powerful kiss ensued.

Sara's tongue timidly slithered out toward Catherine's lips, but at the last second retreated. Her hand fell from Catherine's jaw to her waist as their lips pressed harder against each other with every movement they made. But her tongue craved contact and slithered out again to meet Catherine's tongue. When the tips of their tongues touched, both women moaned and moved closer to the other, Sara's hand more anxious than her mouth as it slid lower onto Catherine's thigh. Her hand pushed back and forth at a tantalizingly slow motion and, for the life of her, Catherine couldn't help but moan even longer than the first time.

But the two weren't alone, or even inside, as the cool breeze reminded Sara all too briskly. She slowly broke their kiss and took her time removing her hands from Catherine's body. She wanted more, but it would have to wait.

Catherine knew that too as she accepted Sara's decision to stop her ministrations. She gently gripped Sara's wrist and the two smiled at each other when they made eye contact once again.

They silently moved closer to the rest of the group as all of them embarked upon the first slope of the day.

Admittedly, Catherine had never gone snowboarding in her life. She was born and raised in Las Vegas and never even knew weather below seventy degrees unless it came from her air conditioner in the dead of a Vegas summer. She knew she was going to make a fool of herself, but being with Sara made her want to shake away the insecurity. She knew she'd have a much better time if she could laugh it off and she'd never really been one to live in her head as much as she had during that weekend.

"You look nervous," Sara said as she lightly shook Catherine's hand in hers.

"I'm trying not to be. I'm not used to being self-conscious."

Sara smiled.

"You'll be fine. So what if you fall, right? I'm sure at least one other person here is gonna be sprawled out in the snow today," the brunette joked.

"Thanks."

"And if you really need help doing anything, you can lean on me..._literally._"

"Really?"

"Of course."

"I mean, you're good at this?"

"I'm good at surfing. It's not much different and I can balance pretty well so if you trip into me, I can keep us upright."

"You sure about that?"

"I'm about ninety percent sure," Sara grinned.

Catherine laughed.

"I guess we'll be testing that ninety percent soon," Catherine said as she stared up the slope, the two of them waiting in the short line at the chairlift.

Cameron and Jason were the first in line out of the group followed by Danielle, Chelsea, and Martha. Rick, Danny, and Max were mingling with the ladies as Sara and Catherine stayed behind the heard.

It didn't take long for all of them to take their seats on the lift and get hoisted toward the top of the slope. Each slope, for legal purposes, was marked with the proper level requirements of that specific terrain. The steeper the slope with more moguls throughout the decent toward the lodge, the higher the level requirement such as a black diamond, level six, or the seventh and final level.

As Sara and Catherine sat patiently on the lift during its slow ascension to the top, Sara noticed the slope was marked with a green square: level four. Since Catherine didn't know how to snowboard, she figured the redhead would have a difficult time riding down that slope. The steepness would be minimal for the rest of the group, including Sara, but it would surely cause Catherine to go a bit fast for her novice comfort.

"Okay, so I think I'm gonna have to teach you a few things on the way down the slope. Is that, okay?"

"That's more than okay," Catherine said. "But I thought you said you didn't snowboard."

"I don't, but I'm observant and I've picked up a couple of tips."

"All right. How bad is it going to be?"

"Not bad. All you have to do is relax. I'm gonna show you how to stop and the real trick behind not falling is to distribute your weight accordingly. Most of your weight should be placed on your back foot and you've got to lean back with the wind resistance just a bit."

"That sounds complicated."

Sara chuckled.

"You'll be fine. You'll see. It sounds troubling, but it'll feel right not awkward. You'll know what to do or at least your body will."

"Okay, but, um, Sara?"

"Yeah?"

"How do I get off this thing," Catherine nervously asked as she pointed to the near end of the lift at the top of the slope.

"Uh, well, you've got to put your back foot, the one that's not in the foot look on the board, in the middle of the board. You're gonna gently glide off the lift and ride across the snow like your foot is actually secured on the board like your front foot."

Sara took one of Catherine's hands and helped her off the lift, her back to the older woman as she guided them both around the corner to the landing at the top of the slope. Sara helped Catherine like the throughout the day as she taught her all the basics she could for the sport.

The group had split up shortly after the first hour and Catherine and Sara were off in their own world as the redhead started to get better control of her balance as she slid down the slopes like a woman who'd been through a couple professionally taught lessons.

With Sara's hand always at the ready to help Catherine, she never fell the entire time they were out there. Unfortunately, after what felt like a short lived two and half hours, Catherine had to call it quits. It was too cold for her to feel the harsh wind slap her in the face over and over again. Her eyes were watery from the severe conditions and her face felt stiff and dry. Her lips were turning blue as they chapped and her hands were shaking underneath the thin material of her black gloves.

Though Sara was a bit of a stranger to the cool as well, she still had at least another hour in her before she felt she might need to throw in the towel, but she could tell Catherine was tired. So she got Catherine back to the lodge in one piece within a matter of minutes and ordered her friend a hot chocolate.

"Thank you," Catherine said as she tried to keep her teeth from chattering.

"No problem."

"Today was great. I know everyone else is still out there having a good time, probably joking around with each other, making someone fall or playing some kind of snowboarding game like racing down the slope or something, but I really appreciate you sticking with me."

"Of course. Where else would I be," Sara beamed.

Catherine started to blush. She hadn't felt that way in a long time, taken care of. Had she been there on the slopes by herself she would've been able to pick herself up just fine and brush herself off without a second thought, but having Sara help her through everything, having someone there make sure she got what she wanted out of her time in the snow, she couldn't have pictured a better day spent with someone she cared about the way she started to recognize she cared about Sara.

"Take me back to the hotel," Catherine blurted as she intensely stared at Sara as they stood beside each other at a bar-style counter.

"I thought you were having a good time," Sara asked as she frowned, worried she'd done something to ruin Catherine's day.

Catherine shook her head.

"Take me to bed," she rephrased, still as serious as she was the first time.

Sara furrowed her brow as she looked over Catherine's face a second time. It was then she picked up on the way Catherine's eyes darkened with desire, a twinkle in them as she hoped the brunette would satisfy her request. It was then she realized Catherine's body language, at attention and ready to go as her chest rose and fell at a more erratic pace than usual.

"Oh," Sara simply stated as her eyes widened through her recognition.

The woman behind the bar-like area placed a cup of hot chocolate in front of Sara and started to turn when the brunette lightly grabbed the server's forearm.

"Actually, I won't be needing that," Sara stated as she took her eyes off of Catherine for a split second.

The server looked from Sara to the redhead still staring at the brunette. She wasn't completely sure what was going on, but she assumed it was something spontaneous and worthy of the trouble she put toward taking the unnecessary order.

She nodded at Sara and slipped out of the brunette's feather-like grasp, which allowed Sara to look back at Catherine.

Sara took Catherine's hand and floated out the door. She knew she had to return the rental boards and let Cameron know she'd left, but she wanted to please Catherine even more. She made sure all the lose ends were tied up in record time as she scurried through the resort to hand in their boarding boots and the boards themselves then sent a curt text to her friend.

"_Going to hotel. With Catherine. Do not disturb. Sorry to ditch."_

The drive back to the hotel was painfully long, but the wait was more than worth it once the women entered Catherine's hotel room.


End file.
